EXCLUSIVE : YouTube has argued it is “premature” for the UK government to threaten legislative changes to ensure the platform recommends content from the BBC , ITV, Channel 4 , and 5.

In a statement to Deadline, the Google-owned video-sharing juggernaut said it was committed to “working constructively” with British networks to ensure it is carrying their content prominently.

YouTube’s intervention follows culture secretary Lisa Nandy saying this week that the government is prepared to legislate if the platform cannot agree to prominence deals “on fair commercial returns.” That came after media regulator Ofcom called on the government in July to make broadcaster content easier to find on YouTube, in a review that gravely positied that “time is running out” to save the TV industry

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