An influential cross-party group of MPs and peers has called on the government to guarantee parliamentary time to create new laws to ensure shows made by the BBC and other public service broadcasters (PSBs) do not get buried on the streaming services of big tech and pay-TV giants such as Netflix and Sky.

In a rare alliance across the political spectrum, nine MPs and peers – including deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, Liberal Democrat baroness Jane Bonham-Carter and the Scottish National Party’s Hannah Bardell – have written to the culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, arguing that if the government is willing to stand up to the tech giants over tax then it also needs to act to protect Britain’s public service broadcasters.

“The digital revolution has brought greater flexibility and choice but if we are not careful the enormous power of the global internet giants is going to sweep traditional PSB television away,” said the letter, timed to mark the joint birthday of the BBC and Channel 4.

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The UK’s PSBs – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – have enjoyed the benefits of being guaranteed the top slots on traditional TV guides, thanks to legislation introduced in 2003.

However, the shift in viewing habits – from the arrival of Netflix and Amazon to the introduction of algorithms to select shows viewers might like and promotion of “top picks” in advanced menus on Sky and Virgin Media – has meant many TV fans increasingly bypass the traditional electronic programme guide.

Broadcasters argue that commercial players are championing their own shows, while public service broadcasting content and services such as the iPlayer, ITV Hub and All 4 are buried.

“From smart TVs that have a ‘Netflix’ button on the remote control, to on-demand sections where PSB apps are nowhere to be seen, or algorithms that only throw up pay-TV programming, PSBs are being pushed out of online TV portals,” the letter said.

“If we value the unique cultural offering these PSBs have given us over the last 82 years then we must act to ensure that whether viewers are selecting what to watch through traditional TV programme guides, or on-demand guides or online, the PSBs are given proper priority.”

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has just closed a consultation into the issue of due prominence. It is sympathetic to the PSBs’ case but it would require new legislation to broaden the current laws across all services.

“The new legislation that is clearly necessary to protect PSBs will need to be given parliamentary time, something that is in the gift of your government. We ask you to commit to doing so,” the letter stated.

Pay-TV companies, smart TV manufacturers and the Silicon Valley giants are opposed to being forced to give prominence to PSB services and content, arguing that in an on-demand world it is the viewers who decide what they want to watch.

“If we agree that public service broadcasting has cultural value then our minimum duty is to make sure it is visible in plain sight to citizens,” the letter said.

Watson added: “This week the government said they are going to stand up to tech giants to make the tax system fairer. They urgently need to do the same for public service broadcasting. Without action the tech giants are going to use their enormous market power to squeeze our PSBs further and further out.”