The UK Media Act is the largest overhaul of UK media law in two decades. The Act modernises the UK’s media regulatory framework to reflect profound shifts in how people consume video and audio content, most notably the rise of connected TV, streaming, smart devices, and online platforms, and to ensure that public service broadcasting (PSB) remains discoverable and relevant.

Upholding Quality Controls across CTV Devices.

As linear TV declines, viewers using Connected TVs, such as smart TVs, streaming sticks, and set-top boxes are now choosing programmes through apps, search, and recommendations.

This shift has made Connected TV home screens very powerful. The way apps are displayed, ranked, or recommended strongly affects what people watch. Global streaming services often dominate these screens, while UK public service broadcasters can be harder to find - The Media Act aims to fix this.

Why the UK government introduced these changes

Public service broadcasters provide important content, including trusted news, locally produced programmes, children’s content, and coverage of national events. These broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, have legal duties to serve UK audiences.

However, on Connected TVs their apps can be buried deep in menus or missing from key parts of the interface. The Media Act recognises that if public service content is hard to find, its public value is weakened.

What the Media Act changes for Connected TV

Under the Media Act, large connected TV platforms will have a legal duty to make sure that:

Public service apps are available on their platform
Viewers can find them without unnecessary effort
This is the digital version of older rules that ensured BBC One or ITV appeared near the top of traditional TV channel lists.

What platforms may be required to do

Ofcom is developing a Code of Practice that explains how platforms can meet their duties under The Media Act.

In practice, this could include making sure public service apps are easy to access from the home screen, fair treatment in search results and voice control, and reasonable placement in featured or recommended areas

Platforms can choose how they meet these requirements, as long as the outcome is that public service content is genuinely easy to find. Once the Connected TV platforms are officially designated, the new rules will become enforceable.

Why this matters

Connected TV home screens now shape what people watch. The Media Act ensures that UK public service content is not lost in a crowded digital environment.

In simple terms, the law aims to make sure that when people turn on their TVs, trusted UK content is still easy to find, even in a world dominated by global streaming services, and that’s positive news for advertisers who want to ensure premium content still dominates their CTV strategy.

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As buying technology expands across Connected TV, our campaign planning experience ensures our clients are already one step ahead of their competitors.

Brands must ensure not just that their ads don’t appear next to harmful content, but that they do appear in environments that enhance relevance, trust, and performance, and quality programming is key.

Let’s have a chat and ensure your ads are in brand-safe CTV environments only.

The UK Media Act: what it means for Connected TV.