UK public service TV ‘endangered’ in YouTube era, says Ofcom

UK public service content such as the BBC’s Wild Isles series could be under threat as third-party platforms such as YouTube dominate viewing, Ofcom has said. Photograph: Alex Board/BBC/Silverback Films

Public service television such as the news, ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office and the BBC nature series Wild Isles is becoming an “endangered species” in the streaming era and ministers should pass laws to make it easier to discover on websites such as YouTube, the media regulator has said.

A report by Ofcom warns that UK-focused programming made by the British public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV and Channels 4 and 5 – is under threat and there is a “strong case” for legislation to make sure it is easy to find on third-party platforms, most notably the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site.