Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 March 2026. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Thursday, 5 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Streaming: YouTube

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled New requirements for UK’s biggest video-on-demand services, published on 24 February 2026, whether YouTube will be included in the additional video services to be regulated.

Answer: The Government will shortly lay the On-demand Programme Services (Tier 1 Services) Regulations 2026. These regulations will designate video-on-demand services with more than 500,000 average monthly users in the UK as Tier 1 services, bringing them under enhanced regulation by Ofcom. Under the Media Act 2024, YouTube channels that commercial public service broadcasters use to fulfil their public service remit will also be Tier 1 services. Other channels hosted on video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube, are exempt from the regulations. However, these channels may still have other legal obligations, for example under the Online Safety Act 2023. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Secondary information