http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/11/business/place.php?WT.mc_id=techalert
Britain retains ban on product placement in TV shows Reuters Wednesday, March 11, 2009 LONDON: Britain will not allow broadcasters to use product placements in their programming despite the collapse of traditional advertising revenues, the government said on Wednesday. The decision provoked a sharp response from ITV, the biggest commercial free-to-air broadcaster in Britain, which described the ruling as perverse and baffling and said it would examine whether there was a case for judicial review. The culture minister, Andy Burnham, said the government had examined the idea of introducing branded products on screen — as is increasingly common in the United States — but had decided to keep its current ban in place. "I am well aware that a number of commercial broadcasters are facing difficult economic times and I will continue to work with the industry to explore ways we can support them," Burnham said. "But my preference is to consider all other avenues before allowing product placement. Burnham added, "There is a lack of evidence of economic benefits, along with very serious concerns about blurring the boundaries between advertising and editorial." Under the rules, product placement will continue to be banned in programs made by and for British television broadcasters. It will continue to be allowed in video-on-demand programs, and in films and television programs acquired from outside Britain, subject to limitations and safeguards. British broadcasters have been hit in recent years by an outflow of advertisers and viewers to the Internet and niche digital channels. ITV said last week its advertising revenues slumped almost 20 percent in the first quarter, leading it to cut 600 jobs and sell assets. "Given the extraordinary economic pressures ITV, and others, face, we can't let a decision like this simply go through without trying to fight it," said Michael Grade, the executive chairman of ITV. A smaller broadcaster, Channel 4, however, said it welcomed the ruling and agreed that product placement could confuse the lines between editorial storylines and advertising. Burnham said the government would review the position on television product placement again in 2011-2012. Voice of the Listener & Viewer, a consumer interest group, welcomed the continued ban, saying it had been urging the government "to stand firm against pleas from the television industry to permit product placement, and on behalf of the television viewers we represent we congratulate him for doing the right thing on a difficult issue." ------------------------------------ -- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTMedia mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [email protected], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE Share media news, discuss journalism issues and network with media professionals across South Asia on this mailing list. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTMedia by sending a blank mail to [email protected] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
