Ofcom consults on VSP advertising regulation

The consultation, which ends on 28^th July, will cover proposals including putting the Advertising Standards Authority in control of day-to-day regulation of VSP-controlled advertising, with Ofcom as a statutory backstop regulator.

Ofcom was appointed online harms regulator in December, ahead of an online harms bill included in this year’s Queen’s speech.

For advertising not marketed, sold or arranged by VSP providers, Ofcom proposes providing oversight of the appropriateness of measures taken by VSPs to protect users from harm.

Rules on protecting users of video-sharing platforms from harmful content were put in place on 1^st November 2020, and include standards in advertising on UK VSPs.

The statutory framework in place differentiates between advertising sold, marketed or arranged by a VSP and advertising that is not.

Ofcom will be working with the newly-created Digital Markets Unit, which is based in the Competition and Markets Authority, on how to govern the relationship between online platforms and content providers, such as news publishers.