UK plans to require YouTube, TikTok and other video platforms to highlight BBC, ITV and other public-service content

LONDON, June 22, 2026. The UK government is moving toward legislation that would require major video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to make public-service broadcaster content easier to discover, under plans being developed for a new Media Bill, Deadline reported.

Under the proposals, British ministers are pressing ahead with the bill that would oblige platforms to carry content from outlets including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Paramount-owned brands more prominently, the report said. The plan would focus on how users encounter and browse video content on large services, rather than on removing any material.

Deadline said the draft approach is expected to address discoverability across platforms, including requirements designed to ensure that users can find public-service content without needing to search specifically for each broadcaster’s channels or programs. The government’s stated direction, as described in the report, is to reduce the risk that audiences primarily encounter commercial or algorithm-driven feeds that crowd out public-interest programming.

The government’s push comes as UK policymakers have increasingly scrutinized the role that recommender systems and platform design play in shaping what the public sees, particularly on high-reach services used by children and families. The legislation being drawn up is positioned as a way to bring public-service media back into the default user experience, according to the Deadline report.

The plans also indicate that the bill is intended to reach multiple platforms beyond the two named in the headline, covering “other major video-sharing platforms,” Deadline said. That broad scope would matter for compliance because large services generally operate across the UK market with different content catalogs, recommendations, and interface tools.

How the rules would be enforced was not described in detail in the Deadline report. However, the underlying policy direction suggests that ministers expect platforms to alter product and distribution mechanics, including how categories and featured areas are presented, so that public-service broadcaster content is easier to identify and access.

Deadline’s report described the BBC and ITV, Channel 4, and Paramount-owned content as specific targets for the discoverability requirement, indicating that the government is drawing on established UK media brands in defining what qualifies as public service content. The proposal, as outlined, would therefore require platforms to implement technical or interface changes tied to the broadcasters named in the bill.

The next step in the process will be the bill’s continued drafting and parliamentary passage, followed by any secondary guidance on compliance expectations and timelines for platform implementation. Deadline’s reporting indicates ministers are continuing work on the measure, with the stated objective of making public-service content more prominent on major video-sharing services.