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Written question asked by Ruth Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 March 2026. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Thursday, 19 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.


Streaming: Illegal Broadcasting

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has her Department made of the effect of illegal streaming on a) the financial sustainability of UK broadcasters and b) their ability to invest in domestic content production.

Answer

The Government recognises that the illegal streaming of content negatively impacts the revenues of UK broadcasters, which is why we have committed in our Creative Industries Sector Plan to ensure UK intellectual property rights are the best protected in the world.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in conjunction with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), recently announced that its funding for the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit Unit (PIPCU), hosted by the City of London Police, will continue until 2029, and strengthen their ongoing partnership in UK intellectual property enforcement. This partnership actively targets websites and platforms providing illegal access to copyrighted material, such as the illegal streaming of television content.

We want to ensure the future sustainability of the broadcasting sector so that they can continue to commission and produce high quality content in the UK. That’s why we have committed to taking action to support the sector through our implementation of the Media Act 2024. We are also considering the findings in Ofcom’s Public Service Media (PSM) Review, which includes a number of recommendations looking to support the future sustainability of public service media.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
119446
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Broadcasting programmes Finance Investment Illegal broadcasting Streaming
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk