Video-on-demand to be regulated

Video-on-demand (VoD) services will be subject to the same regulations as regular television broadcasts by 2010, Ofcom has announced.

This means that the BBC's iPlayer, SkyPlayer, ITV Player, MSN Video, Demand Five and the soon-to-be-launched UK version of Hulu will be regulated by 19 December 2009 in order to comply with EU rules.

Industry regulator Ofcom has announced that legislation will require VoD services to ensure that material doesn't break rules about discrimination and advertising, for example.

"Ofcom proposes that VoD services are regulated by the industry body, the Association for Television On Demand (ATVOD), and that advertising included in those services, is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)," Ofcom said in a statement.

One service that will not come under the remit of the new regulations will be YouTube, which Ofcom defines as a site that hosts "unmoderated user-generated material".

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However, several major broadcasters have official channels on YouTube, so the site doesn't purely host unmoderated material.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on its proposals, which will conclude on 26 October.