Netflix, Amazon face Asia regulation

Netflix and other OTT operators will be subject to much of the same regulation as traditional broadcasters in Thailand if recommendations from a new report are implemented.

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) commissioned Time Consulting to examine the regulation of free and paid-for TV streaming services.

Thai newspaper The Nation quotes from the resulting report and says it calls for the registration and licensing of OTT operators and that they should face a similar regime to linear broadcasters.

There should also be stipulations about local content, it added, noting the regulation of VOD platforms would not hinder their operation.

Netflix has launched in Thailand as part of its global roll out, and more recently Amazon followed suit, but like other local OTT services, they do not face the same level of regulatory scrutiny as its TV counterparts.

The US company is more likely to welcome the element of the report to regulators that suggests net neutrality rules are enforced, ensuring equal access to the internet for all services.