Ofcom Broadcasting Code meaning

In this issue: New technologies Internet Data protection Media Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Reputation management Telecommunications LexTalk®TMT: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information New technologies European Commission issues guidance on AI system definition The Commission has issued guidance to help providers judge whether a software system qualifies as artificial intelligence under Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU AI Act). Though not binding, the material is intended to support application of the Act’s provisions, which started on 2 February 2025. The Commission notes the guidance will be refined over time in light of real-world experience and emerging scenarios. Under the Act, AI systems are grouped by risk—prohibited, high risk, and those carrying transparency duties—and this guidance sits alongside existing advice on banned AI practices. See: LNB News 07/02/2025 36. Commission sets out 2025 Work Programme with a simplification...

The Office of Communications v Star China Media Ltd [2025] EWHC 2816 (KB) What are the practical implications of this case? This judgment delivers significant direction for broadcasting practitioners and their clients on the extent and enforceability of Ofcom’s sanctioning powers. It confirms that, when imposing penalties for breaches of the fairness code (Broadcasting Act 1996, s 107), Ofcom may properly pursue wider deterrence through financial penalties to the same level as for breaches of the standards code (Communications Act 2003 (CA 2003), s 319), as both sit within Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. Practitioners should also note that Ofcom’s penalty regime operates consistently across all provisions of the Broadcasting Code. The court further held that penalties remain recoverable as civil debts even after a broadcaster’s licence has been revoked, under CA 2003, s 346(3), meaning revocation does not insulate broadcasters from financial liability. Additionally, the court endorsed a narrow margin of appreciation for specialist regulators such as Ofcom, so judicial scrutiny will accord weight to Ofcom’s judgements and depart from...

Editor’s note—Anurag Deb, PhD researcher at the School of Law, Queens University, Belfast Welcome to the inaugural 2025 issue of the Public Law Case Law Quarterly, bringing together summaries and analysis of pivotal judgments chosen by the Lexis+ UK Public Law team, complemented by expert comment from a range of specialist contributors. This instalment spans a broad spectrum of public law matters, from human rights to the ongoing effects of Brexit, public procurement, and even State immunity. Notable among the cases is Department for Justice v JR123, where the Supreme Court endorsed Northern Ireland’s offender rehabilitation regime, holding that the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 strikes a fair equilibrium between Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the public interest. Also significant is R (GB News Ltd) v Ofcom, in which the High Court overturned Ofcom’s finding that ‘Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation’ breached due impartiality rules, marking the first time Ofcom has been unsuccessful in a judicial review...

For more common film and TV terms, see: Film and TV glossary A–B, Film and TV glossary C–D, Film and TV glossary E–H, Film and TV glossary I–L, Film and TV glossary R–S, Film and TV glossary T–W. Meme An image, video, snippet of text, or similar item that satirises or amuses, typically spreading rapidly online, with users often adapting or varying it as they share it on. Mime Within copyright law, mime is treated as a form of dramatic work. Moral rights Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988), authors are granted personal rights (moral rights) that sit alongside, but separate from, their economic rights. Whereas copyright concerns financial interests, moral rights protect the author’s public reputation and the integrity of the work linked to them. the right to be named as author or director (the right of paternity) the right to object to derogatory treatment of a work (the right of integrity) the right...

This Practice Note provides an overview of media content regulation in the UK. The primary media regulators are: Broadcasting (television and radio) — Ofcom Press and magazines — Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Advertising — Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Cinema and video — British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) Video on demand (VoD) — Ofcom Video-sharing platforms (VSPs) — Ofcom Social media platforms and search engines — Ofcom Broadcasting Ofcom oversees television and radio programme content by setting and enforcing codes that broadcasters must comply with. The key code for editorial standards is the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (OBC). Broadcast advertising content is handled by the ASA—see Advertising below. In November 2025, Ofcom sought input on reforming broadcast regulation, inviting views on updates in three broad areas: licensing advertising (with an emphasis on the volume permitted on particular services, rather than advertising content) content standards See: LNB News...

This Practice Note serves as a reference when assessing whether to include a product or service in a television or radio programme in exchange for consideration. It addresses the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (the Code), which prescribes the rules governing what products may appear, the programme genres in which placement is allowed, and the manner in which such items can feature. The rules on product placement in television broadcasts sit in Section 9 of the Code. Ofcom has also issued guidance on these provisions, but that guidance is currently being revised. An archived version for Section 9 can be accessed via the National Archives; however, it does not reflect the rules now in force. Product placement is one form of commercial advertising within television and radio content regulated by Ofcom. For advertising outside television or radio content, see Practice Note: Advertising law and regulation. What is product placement? ‘Product placement’ refers to the inclusion within a programme of, or a reference to, a product, service, or trade mark, where...