Ofcom


Ofcom investigates Virgin Media over complaints on contracts

UK watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into Virgin Media following complaints from customers that the company is making it difficult for them to cancel their services.  Ofcom said the review comes following a number of complaints it has received from Virgin Media customers who have tried to leave, but said the company had made it […]

Ofcom launches investigation into GB News ‘Don’t Kill Cash’ campaign

UK broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has opened an investigation into GB News following a complaint relating to its recently launched ‘Don’t Kill Cash’ campaign. The controversial broadcaster launched the ‘GB News Don’t Kill Cash’ petition which has requested the UK government introduces legislation to “protect the status of cash as legal tender and as a widely […]

UKs Ofcom probes right-wing news channels for possible rule breaches

UK media regulator Ofcom has opened two separate broadcast standards probes into programmes aired on controversial opinion-centred news channels GB News and News UK-owned rival Talk TV. The first probe into a State of the Nation episode on GB News on May 9 will look at whether programed complied with rules which prevent politicians from […]

Ofcom and UK telcos commit to bring more women to tech roles

UK media and telecom regulator Ofcom has teamed up with the UK’s biggest telecoms companies to sign a new pledge, committing to help get more women build technology careers across the industry. Noting that the telecoms sector has been historically male-dominated, Ofcom together with BT Group, Openreach, Sky, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone […]

Ofcom falls victim to ransomware cyber-attack

UK media and telecoms regulator Ofcom has revealed that data on its employees and those of companies it regulates have been stolen by a cyberattack on the MOVEit managed file transfer service that it has been using. The large-scale attack on the MOVEit service, operated by Progress Software, affected data held by a high-profile organisations […]

UK multichannel broadcaster group slams Ofcom ad rules change plan

The UK’s Association for Commercial Broadcasters and On-Demand Services (COBA) has slammed regulator Ofcom’s plans to loosen up advertising rules for public service broadcasters, following the closing of a consultation on the plan. COBA, which represents multichannel broadcasters outside the PSB group, issued a warning, based on a report it commissioned, that PSBs would lose […]

Ofcom orders meeting with GB News following second broadcasting code breach

UK media regulator Ofcom has ordered a meeting with the right-wing news channel GB News following a breach of its broadcasting code on the Mark Steyn programme. The watchdog found comments made during an interview with Naomi Wolf about the Covid-19 vaccine was in violation of its broadcasting rules, including that its rollout amounted to a“mass […]

Virgin Media tops Ofcom pay TV complaints table

Virgin Media generated the most complaints about pay TV to UK media and telecoms regulator Ofcom in the fourth quarter of last year. Sky generated the fewest complaints. Virgin Media generated eight complaints per 100,000 customers, closely followed by BT with seven. TalkTalk, by contrast, generated only three complaints per 100,000 customers. Sky generated only […]

Ofcom penalises Ahlebait TV Networks £10,000 over “antisemitic hate speech”

UK media watchdog Ofcom has imposed a fine of £10,000 on Ahlebait TV Networks over “antisemitic hate speech” aired on an episode on the network’s Shia Muslim TV channel Ahlebait TV, violating Ofcom broadcasting rules. The decision came following a broadcast on March 21 2021, of an episode of 20th Hour, a current affairs discussion […]

Ofcom seeks to reform strict PSB ad rules

Telecom and media regulator, Ofcom has been consulting on whether it is to remove some or all of the stricter advertising rules that apply to commercially-funded public service broadcasters (PSBs), which has provisionally come to the conclusion that stricter advertising restrictions on PSB channels are no longer justified or proportionate. UK broadcasters are currently subject […]