Broadcast Bulletin Issue Number 194 21/11/11
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Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 194 21 November 2011 1 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Contents Introduction 4 Notice of Sanction Playboy TV UK / Just4Us Limited Various „adult chat‟ advertisements broadcast on Red Light 1, Red Light 2 and Red Light 3 on various dates between 2 April and 13 April 2011 5 Standards cases In Breach Jaguar sponsorship of International Cricket Sky Sports 1, 30 July 2011, 15:40 7 Mercedes-Benz’s sponsorship of Forth One Travel Forth One, 8 August to 5 September 2011, various times 10 Advertising Scheduling cases In Breach Breach findings table Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising compliance reports 13 Resolved Advertising Scheduling ITV1, Agatha Christie‟s Man in the Brown Suit, 6 August 2011, 13:45 ITV3, Agatha Christie‟s Sparkling Cyanide, 6 August 2011, 17:50 ITV3, Agatha Christie‟s Dead Man‟s Folly, 27 August 2011, 15:55 ITV3, Agatha Christie‟s Dead Man‟s Folly, 28 August 2011,12:55 15 Fairness and Privacy cases Complaint by Mr Colin Hawkley Motorway Cops: Deadly Distractions, BBC 1, 11 January 2011 17 Complaint by Mrs Mary Beghin made on her own behalf and on behalf of Chancellors Debt Recovery Agency Channel Report, ITV1 (Channel Television), 20 April 2011 27 Complaint by Mrs E Cutting Edge: A Very Dangerous Doctor, Channel 4, 12 May 2011 38 2 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Other programmes not in breach 43 Complaints Assessed, Not Investigated 44 Investigations List 53 3 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Introduction Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a duty to set standards for broadcast content as appear to it best calculated to secure the standards objectives1, Ofcom must include these standards in a code or codes. These are listed below. The Broadcast Bulletin reports on the outcome of investigations into alleged breaches of those Ofcom codes, as well as licence conditions with which broadcasters regulated by Ofcom are required to comply. These include: a) Ofcom‟s Broadcasting Code (“the Code”), which, can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/. b) the Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising (“COSTA”) which contains rules on how much advertising and teleshopping may be scheduled in programmes, how many breaks are allowed and when they may be taken. COSTA can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/advert-code/. c) certain sections of the BCAP Code: the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising, which relate to those areas of the BCAP Code for which Ofcom retains regulatory responsibility. These include: the prohibition on „political‟ advertising; sponsorship and product placement on television (see Rules 9.13, 9.16 and 9.17 of the Code) and all commercial communications in radio programming (see Rules 10.6 to 10.8 of the Code); „participation TV‟ advertising. This includes long-form advertising predicated on premium rate telephone services – most notably chat (including „adult‟ chat), „psychic‟ readings and dedicated quiz TV (Call TV quiz services). Ofcom is also responsible for regulating gambling, dating and „message board‟ material where these are broadcast as advertising2. The BCAP Code is at: www.bcap.org.uk/The-Codes/BCAP-Code.aspx d) other licence conditions which broadcasters must comply with, such as requirements to pay fees and submit information which enables Ofcom to carry out its statutory duties. Further information on television and radio licences can be found at: http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/tv-broadcast-licences/ and http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/. Other codes and requirements may also apply to broadcasters, depending on their circumstances. These include the Code on Television Access Services (which sets out how much subtitling, signing and audio description relevant licensees must provide), the Code on Electronic Programme Guides, the Code on Listed Events, and the Cross Promotion Code. Links to all these codes can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/ It is Ofcom‟s policy to describe fully the content in television and radio programmes that is subject to broadcast investigations. Some of the language and descriptions used in Ofcom‟s Broadcast Bulletin may therefore cause offence. 1 The relevant legislation is set out in detail in Annex 1 of the Code. 2 BCAP and ASA continue to regulate conventional teleshopping content and spot advertising for these types of services where it is permitted. Ofcom remains responsible for statutory sanctions in all advertising cases 4 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Notice of Sanction Playboy UK TV Limited/Benelux Limited and Just4Us TV Limited Various „adult chat‟ advertisements broadcast on Red Light 1, Red Light 2 and Red Light 3 on various dates between 2 April and 13 April 2011 Introduction The services Red Light 1, Red Light 2 and Red Light 3 all carry televised interactive „adult chat‟ advertisements broadcast from 21:00. Viewers are invited to contact onscreen female presenters via premium rate telephony services (“PRS”). The licence for Red Light 1 is owned and operated by Just4Us TV Limited (“Just4Us”); and the licences for Red Light 2 and Red Light 3 are owned and operated by Playboy UK TV Limited/Benelux Ltd (“Playboy TV”). Just4Us is a wholly owned subsidiary of Playboy TV. Playboy TV is responsible for the compliance of Red Light 1, Red Light 2 and Red Light 3. These services are available freely without mandatory restricted access and are in the 'adult' section of the Sky Electronic Programme Guide. Summary of Decision In Ofcom‟s finding published on 4 July 2011 in Broadcast Bulletin 1851, Ofcom found that ten „adult chat‟ advertisements broadcast by Just4Us and Playboy breached the following Rules in the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (“the BCAP Code”): 4.2: Advertisements must not cause serious or widespread offence against generally accepted standards. 32.3: Relevant timing restrictions must be applied to advertisements that are unsuitable for children. After considering all the evidence and all the representations made to it by the Licensees, Ofcom decided that the Code breaches were so serious and repeated that a financial penalty should be imposed in accordance with Ofcom‟s Procedures for the consideration of statutory sanctions in breaches of broadcast licences2. Ofcom then also considered the level of the financial penalty to be imposed, in accordance with Ofcom‟s Penalty Guidelines3. Having regard to: the serious and repeated nature of the breaches; the Licensee‟s representations; and Ofcom‟s Penalty Guidelines, Ofcom decided it was appropriate and proportionate in the circumstances to impose a financial penalty of £60,000 on 1 http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/enforcement/broadcast- bulletins/obb185/obb185.pdf 2 http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/guidance/854750/statutory- sanctions.pdf 3 http://www.ofcom.org.uk/files/2010/06/penguid.pdf 5 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Just4us and £50,000 on Playboy TV in respect of the Code breaches (payable to HM Paymaster General). The full adjudication is available at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/enforcement/content-sanctions- adjudications/Just4Us-Sanction.pdf 6 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 Standards cases In Breach Jaguar sponsorship of International Cricket Sky Sports 1, 30 July 2011, 15:40 Introduction This cricket coverage on Sky Sports 1 was sponsored by Jaguar. A complainant alerted Ofcom to the promotional nature of a sponsorship credit for this coverage. On viewing the credit, Ofcom noted that it showed a Jaguar car driving on a very wet road accompanied by a voice over by cricket commentator David Lloyd who said: “Well, that bit of rain hasn‟t changed the performance at all.” Ofcom considered the material raised issues warranting investigation under Rule 9.22(a) of the Code, which states: “Sponsorship credits broadcast around sponsored programmes must not contain advertising messages or calls to action. Credits must not encourage the purchase or rental of the products or services of the sponsor or a third party. The focus of the credit must be the sponsorship arrangement itself. Such credits may include explicit reference to the sponsor's products, services or trade marks for the sole purpose of helping to identify the sponsor and/or the sponsorship arrangement.” We therefore sought comments from BSkyB Broadcasting Ltd (“Sky” or “the Licensee”) under this rule. Response Sky said that: “The main purpose of this sponsorship credit is to link the sponsor with the programme and make the sponsorship relationship clear.” It said that the voice- over “relates to the programming as much as it does to the car. Cricket is notoriously linked with delays for rain.” The Licensee did not believe the sponsorship credit constituted an advertising message, but that it “thematically links the sponsor to the programme in an elegant and interesting fashion”. Sky noted that using a Sky cricket presenter as the voice- over artist, and the line: “Well, that bit of rain hasn‟t changed the performance at all” makes “an obvious and immediate link from the sponsored programme to the sponsor credit.” Sky added that fans watching the cricket “would expect some kind of reference to the effect on players‟ and team performances following a break for rain.” Sky pointed to guidance Ofcom had issued in June 20091 in relation to sponsorship credits in which Ofcom explained that credits that focus predominantly on the sponsorship arrangement, rather than the sponsor or its products or services are less likely to be found in breach of the Code. In this guidance, Ofcom also noted the possible use in credits of statements with “...double meanings which communicate 1 Update on Commercial and Consumer Protection issues within programming, Issue 1, June 2009 7 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 194 21 November 2011 something about the sponsored programme or the sponsorship arrangement, but that also allude to the sponsor or its products or services”.