{"id":10925,"date":"2022-02-08T13:03:36","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T12:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1580629"},"modified":"2022-02-08T13:24:13","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T12:24:13","slug":"ofcom-calls-to-regulate-netflix-amid-jimmy-carr-controversy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ofcom-calls-to-regulate-netflix-amid-jimmy-carr-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Ofcom calls to regulate Netflix amid Jimmy Carr controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lewis Knight\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 08 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Ofcom has made clear that it wants to regulate Netflix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The comments from its chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes come after a controversy surrounding a comedy show on the platform.<\/p>\n

During his stand-up special Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material, the comedian made an offensive remark about individuals from the traveller community dying in the Holocaust, which has prompted widespread outcry.<\/p>\n

Following the release of the programme on streaming service Netflix, questions have been asked about regulating streaming services that are not based in the UK.<\/p>\n

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes commented on the Carr controversy on Channel 4 News<\/a>: \u201cI can really understand why a lot of people found that very offensive and, as you say, we don\u2019t regulate Netflix at the moment, they\u2019re underneath the Dutch regulator.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think that is a concern because it means that for viewers, it\u2019s really confusing that they\u2019ve got different standards applied, for example, to Channel 4 News than they have to YouTube and other services, including Netflix, that come streamed onto our TVs.\u201d<\/p>

Dame Melanie noted that the government was thinking about this and how Ofcom\u2019s priority was to \u201chelp the viewer\u201d.<\/p>\n

When asked if she would relish the chance to regulate Netflix, Dame Melanie concluded: \u201cI can certainly see that there\u2019ll be real value in that, yes, and so we would welcome any chance to work on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that platforms such as Spotify need to be clear about the rules on their services and they need to abide by those rules.<\/p>\n