In today’s Digest we cover video-on-demand services facing new Ofcom regulation in the UK, Canva buying animation and marketing startups, and OOH hitting record revenue in 2025.

UK VOD services to face new Ofcom regulation

The UK government is moving to tighten oversight of the country’s largest streaming platforms, laying further legislation for the Media Act 2024 and closing the regulatory gap between linear television and on-demand services. Major video-on-demand platforms with more than 500,000 UK users including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX, and Channel 4 will be designated as “Tier 1” providers. These will be brought under enhanced regulation by Ofcom.

Under the new framework, Tier 1 services must comply with a standards code modelled on Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, introducing protections against harmful or offensive material and requiring due accuracy and impartiality in news content. Viewers will be able to lodge complaints directly with Ofcom, which will have the authority to investigate and sanction breaches a significant expansion of its remit over streaming services.

The legislation also establishes a dedicated accessibility code, mandating that at least 80% of catalogue content carry subtitles, 10% include audio description, and 5% provide sign language. Once designated, platforms will be required to meet these quotas, marking a decisive step towards regulatory parity between traditional broadcasters and global streaming giants operating in the UK.

Canva buys animation and marketing startups

Canva has unveiled a dual acquisition designed to bolster its professional creative toolkit, striking deals to buy animation specialist Cavalry and advertising optimisation startup Mango AI. The move underscores Canva’s ambition to extend its offering beyond static design and further into motion and performance-driven creative workflows.

The company said Cavalry’s technology will be integrated into Affinity, its professional-grade editing suite spanning photo, vector, and layout design, acquired in 2024. In a blog post, Canva described the deal as addressing a critical gap in its product lineup. By combining Affinity’s established design capabilities with Cavalry’s animation tools,  Canva will build what it terms a “full-stack Creative OS”, while preserving the depth and control required by professional users.

Canva has further expanded its AI and marketing capabilities with the acquisition of Mango AI, which had been developing reinforcement learning systems to optimise video ad performance. 

OOH hits record revenue in 2025

The UK out-of-home (OOH) advertising sector delivered record revenues in 2025, despite ongoing economic pressures, according to figures released by industry body Outsmart. Annual revenue rose 2.6% year-on-year to £1.44bn, surpassing 2024’s total and marking the highest level on record.

Growth was led by digital formats, with digital OOH increasing 3.2%, while classic OOH rose 1.3%. Digital accounted for 69% of total annual revenue by the end of last year, underlining the continued shift towards screen-based inventory.

Momentum strengthened in the second half of the year, with revenues up 3.8% compared with 1.2% growth in the first half. A robust fourth quarter helped drive performance, as total revenues climbed 3.3% to £404.9m. In Q4, digitalOOH expanded 4.8% year on year, while classic OOH edged up 0.3%, a slowdown from the previous quarter when traditional formats briefly outpaced digital.