{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/broadcasting-act-1990/section-166",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/broadcasting-act-1990/section-166.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1990/42",
  "legislation_title": "Broadcasting Act 1990",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/broadcasting-act-1990",
  "path": "section/166",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "166",
  "heading": "Defamatory material.",
  "text": "(1) For the purposes of the law of libel and slander ... the publication of words in the course of any programme included in a programme service shall be treated as publication in permanent form.\n(2) Subsection (1) above shall apply for the purposes of section 3 of each of the Defamation Acts (slander of title etc.) as it applies for the purposes of the law of libel and slander.\n(3) .........................................................................\n(4) In this section “the Defamation Acts” means the Defamation Act 1952 and the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 1955.\n(5) Subsections (1) and (2) above do not extend to Scotland.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 166 repealed (12.1.2010) by Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (c. 25), s. 182(2)(e)(viii), Sch. 23 Pt. 2 (with s. 180)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 166(3) repealed (4.9.1996 for specified purposes, 1.4.1999 for specified purposes, 28.2.2000 for E.W. insofar as not already in force, 31.3.2001 for S., 6.1.2010 for N.I. in so far as not already in force) by Defamation Act 1996 (c. 31), ss. 16, 19(2), Sch. 2; S.I. 1999/817, art. 2(b); S.I. 2000/222, art. 3(b); S.S.I. 2001/98, art. 3; S.I. 2009/2858, art. 3(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1952 c. 66."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1955 c. 11 (N.I.)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/42/section/166",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:42:53.031174+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}