Whenever then-HBO Max made the decision to dump and bunch of its original programming last year as a way to cut costs over Warner Bros. Discovery merger, it bizarrely kicked off a sub-trend of streaming services snipping away at their original content collections, with Disney+ recently revealing its own batch of cutting-block shows. Netflix pulled a similar kind of move in removing some early offerings like Hemlock Grove, and it looks like some customers may be losing access to a selection of TV shows and movies, as the company’s execs appear to be taking issue with a new Media Bill from the UK government pushing for stricter streaming regulations.
British TV standards have always stood apart from those in the U.S. and certain other parts of the world, with the current media regulator Ofcom keeping a metaphorical eye on content being produced for broadcast networks. Members of the UK government are pushing for Ofcom to extend its boundaries to incorporate the broadening world of streaming content, which would put everything currently available on Netflix (and other services) under the watchdog’s microscope. Which in turn would put the streaming provider at risk of having to pay fines of up to $310,000 for harmful and subjective content, as it were.
