The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has laid before Parliament the first commencement regulations for the Media Act 2024, bringing a number of the provisions of the Act into force on 23 August 2024.

We have commented on the progress of the Media Act 2024 on numerous occasions (see for example here and here). We have also discussed Ofcom’s continuing work to implement the Act as part of its roadmap to regulation, including its recent call for evidence about the listed events regime (see here).

In response to the first commencement order, Ofcom stated that it will be able to continue its implementation plans, including:

• Preparing for its new duties for video-on-demand services, including reviewing their audience protection measures;
• Further developing its approach for new measures on how Public Service Broadcasters will “show how they deliver to the updated and modernised public service remit across their services”;
• Preparing for its new duties for voice-activated platforms, including determining the principles and methods it will apply in making a recommendation to the Secretary of State about which platforms are included; and
• Continuing to develop the processes for designating the services which will be in scope for the new rules to ensure online Public Service Broadcasting services are both available on popular TV platforms and capable of being easily found and discovered by audiences.

Ofcom has also promised to launch a dedicated ‘Media Act Implementation Hub’ on its website which will provide regular updates on its work as well as host consultations and other publications.

The Regulations can be read here