The days of scrolling through YouTube and only seeing what its algorithm thinks you want might be numbered.
Ofcom has just unveiled a dramatic plan that could force the video giant to prominently feature BBC, ITV and Channel 4 content in UK viewers’ feeds – regardless of your personal viewing habits.
In a major report published this week, the media regulator has declared traditional public service TV an “endangered species” and is calling for YouTube to prioritise content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and other Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) in your recommendations.
In what could mark a major shake-up for how you experience YouTube, Ofcom is urging PSBs to “work urgently with YouTube” to ensure their content is more prominent and easier to find on the platform – particularly for news and children’s programming.
If YouTube doesn’t play ball voluntarily, Ofcom believes there’s a “strong case for Government to legislate” to make these changes happen.
Yes, that means potentially forcing YouTube’s famously secretive algorithm to promote more British content, whether you’ve shown interest in it or not.
Why is Ofcom targeting YouTube?
It’s all about eyeballs. According to Ofcom’s latest data, viewers now spend less than half of their home viewing time watching traditional TV channels.
Meanwhile, YouTube is booming – especially among younger audiences, with a whopping 43% of children aged 4-17 watching it weekly.
What’s particularly concerning for Ofcom is that a staggering 45% of YouTube viewing by children happens on TV screens – up from 36% in 2022. This means the big telly in your living room is increasingly becoming a YouTube machine rather than a traditional broadcaster.
Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Ofcom’s Broadcasting and Media Group Director, put it bluntly: “Public service media is stitched into the cultural fabric of UK society. It starts conversations, educates and informs, and brings us together in moments of national importance.
“But in a world dominated by global streaming platforms, public service media risks becoming an endangered species, and time is running out to intervene to protect it.”
PSBs Are Already on YouTube – But Is It Enough?
The UK’s public service broadcasters haven’t been sitting on their hands when it comes to YouTube. They’ve been gradually expanding their presence on the platform, albeit with varying levels of commitment.
Channel 4 has been particularly aggressive in its YouTube strategy, operating several successful channel hubs.
Just last week, they announced a brand-new comedy channel that will launch exclusively on YouTube, bypassing traditional TV altogether – a clear sign they recognise where younger viewers are spending their time.
The BBC maintains a sprawling network of YouTube channels, from BBC News and BBC Sport to genre-specific offerings like BBC Earth. ITV has also established a presence with channels for its news, daytime shows, and soap operas.
But despite these efforts, Ofcom’s analysis suggests PSB content only forms a small fraction of what UK viewers actually watch on YouTube.
The algorithms simply aren’t pushing British public service content to the top of feeds – and that’s precisely what Ofcom wants to change.
The PSB Visibility Crisis
This YouTube recommendation isn’t coming out of nowhere. It’s actually the latest chapter in an ongoing saga about how visible British public broadcasters should be in our increasingly digital world.
Traditional TV has been fighting to stay relevant for years. Back in 2023, we reported on the Draft Media Bill, which aimed to ensure PSBs weren’t buried beneath Netflix and Disney+ on your smart TV’s home screen.
Then came the BBC’s ambitious proposal for dedicated iPlayer buttons on every streaming device remote in the UK – an idea that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport swiftly shot down, saying remotes weren’t within the scope of the Media Bill.
Now, with the recently passed Media Act ensuring PSB content gets “significant prominence” on smart TVs and streaming devices, attention has turned to YouTube and other video-sharing platforms that fall outside current regulations.
How YouTube Currently Works
Unlike traditional TV with its channel guide, on YouTube the platform’s algorithms largely decide what you see. More than half of video viewing on YouTube comes from the platform’s own recommendations or “Up Next” suggestions, rather than direct searches or channel subscriptions.
Ofcom’s analysis shows that only about a third of UK YouTube viewing comes from “traditional” sources like TV broadcasters, film studios, or music labels.
Even more concerning for British content creators, only around one-fifth of what UK viewers watch on YouTube is actually UK-originated content.
Put simply, the algorithms that determine what you see on YouTube are designed to maximise engagement and advertising revenue – not to promote British culture or support public service broadcasting.
What Might Change?
If some of Ofcom’s recommendations and ideas are implemented, your YouTube experience could change in several ways:
- YouTube might be required to give more prominent placement to PSB content in your recommendations
- Special labelling or highlighting of trusted news sources from PSBs
- More PSB children’s content being recommended to younger viewers
- Potential “choice screens” allowing users to opt for seeing more British content
- Greater transparency into how YouTube’s algorithm works and affects what British viewers see
Ofcom is particularly concerned about news and children’s content. They argue that PSB news is “much more widely trusted than social media news” and vital for countering misinformation.
For children, who now spend more time on YouTube than all PSB services combined, there’s a risk they won’t encounter “culturally relevant, distinctive UK content” that’s important for education and national identity.
The Freely Connection
This push for PSB prominence on YouTube comes as the BBC is doubling down on its streaming strategy through Freely, the internet-based successor to Freeview that launched last year.
In May, Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, revealed the broadcaster was considering a dedicated Freely streaming device with a simplified interface – potentially solving the platform’s biggest limitation of only being available on new TVs.
In that speech, Davie made it clear the BBC is embracing the shift to internet-based television, calling for the government to “confirm an IP switchover in the 2030s, setting out the conditions and providing certainty to ensure success.”
Davie also highlighted the same prominence concerns that Ofcom is now addressing, saying: “If people can’t find our services, and prominence is simply secured by the highest bidder, then we can’t build connections and trust.”
What Happens Next?
For now, this is just a recommendation from Ofcom – albeit one with some serious muscle behind it.
The regulator is essentially giving YouTube and the PSBs a chance to work this out voluntarily before potentially bringing in the heavy hand of legislation.
Ofcom’s recommendations include:
- PSBs should continue investing in content formats that work for digital and social platforms
- YouTube should work with PSBs to highlight their content and share analytics
- If voluntary cooperation doesn’t happen, the Government should consider legislation requiring statutory prominence for PSB content on YouTube
- Ofcom could be given greater powers to audit and oversee how YouTube’s recommendation systems impact PSB content discoverability
Other countries are already moving in this direction.
France and Canada have applied prominence requirements to streaming services, while Australia and Canada have required major platforms to feature local news content (though Meta famously pulled news content from Facebook in Canada rather than comply).
If you’re a regular YouTube user, these potential changes could significantly alter what appears in your recommendations.
You might start seeing more BBC News clips, CBBC children’s shows, or ITV documentaries appearing higher in your feed – even if you haven’t specifically sought them out before.
For those who already use PSB streaming services like iPlayer, ITVX, or Channel 4, you might find it easier to discover their content on YouTube as well.
And for parents concerned about what their kids are watching on YouTube, this could potentially mean more age-appropriate, educational British content being surfaced instead of the often questionable videos that sometimes dominate children’s viewing.
But the big question remains: will YouTube willingly change its algorithm to promote more British content, or will this become another battleground between tech giants and national regulators?
For more news on TV and streaming, Subscribe to our free newsletter.
Blah, blah, blah…I hear all this scarmongering tactics all the time from social media platforms like YouTube. Unless the BBC are ‘live’ streaming content, then yes, they may have a case with people watching this content without a TV licence, but if its something that it is ‘recorded’ and not ‘live’, then the BBC dont really have a case to answer for. What makes BBCiPlayer platform different is because it belongs to the BBC and thats why they can insist that you have a TV licence to view their content whether its ‘live’ or not. But lets not mince our words here, we all know this is all bullshit and is just another scaremongering tactic and to be quite honest, Or…I really am getting bored with your newsfeed, that I am having to unsubscribe from your page.
My concern would be if other UK channels that are more biased are equally ‘promoted’. Channels such as GBNews or Times News.
If I want content from a channel, I subscribe to it and select it from my subscribed channels screen (just wish YT would list them alphabetically, or put new content at top).
I hardly watch YouTube because of the incredibly annoying ad interruptions.
I’d guess youngsters have become used to this, and don’t care.
I still wouldn’t watch news, soaps, love island, cooking shows etc if it was put in my youtube
As long as this is not just another way to extract licence tax for that dinosaur BBC, then go for it, however if it is, then I fear YouTube faces a uncertain future.