Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ could face stricter rules designed to protect UK audiences from harmful material.

The government said that the new rules would mean audiences – particularly children – receive a “consistent level of protection” on video-on-demand services, as they do on traditional television broadcasters.

New guidelines could involve aligning the content standards rules for on-demand TV services with those for traditional linear TV like BBC 1 and Sky.

Ofcom data shows a huge growth in popularity and use of on-demand services in the UK.

The number of households that subscribe to one rose by almost 350 per cent between 2014 and 2020. In 2021, 75 per cent per cent of UK households say that they have used a subscription video-on-demand service.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden identified misinformation and pseudoscience as examples of harmful content on programmes offered by video-on-demand companies.

“We want to give UK audiences peace of mind that however they watch TV in the digital age, the shows they enjoy are held to the same high standards that British broadcasting is world-renowned for,” said the culture secretary. “It is right that now we have left the EU, we look at introducing proportionate new rules so that UK audiences are protected from harm.”

The government is seeking views on the proposed rules in a consultation launched on Tuesday.

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