Ofcom has published details of the Television Selection Services (TSS) or connected TV platforms that will be designated by the Secretary of State to be required to ensure that BBC iPlayer and other public service broadcaster TV players will be given due prominence.
Ofcom has launched a consultation on which connected platforms should receive designation It’s based its decision on the number of TSS installed on internet television equipment devices in UK homes that have been actively used in the last year. The regulator had set 700,000 active users as significant enough to warrant designation. “We consider that setting a threshold at this level will ensure that public service content is widely available taking into account the trends in audience viewing,” the regulator said in a statement.
Recognising multiple versions may be in place, Ofcom is proposing the designation should only apply to those versions of a TSS available on the market in July 2025 – as well as any future versions made available while the designations are in place.
The relevant versions of the following 14 TSS should be designated: Amazon Fire TV OS; Android TV; Apple TV OS; Google TV; LG WebOS; Roku OS; Samsung Smart Hub (Tizen); Sky Entertainment OS; Sky Q; VIDAA OS; Virgin Media Horizon; Virgin Media TiVo on V6 devices; YouView on EE TV (Sagemcom devices); YouView on Sony devices.
The finalised report will go before the Secretary of State later this year, following which they will make regulations to determine which television selection service will be regulated.
The PSB players likely to be given prominence include BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 stream, 5, STV player and S4C Clic.
