Britain Maintains Ban on Product Placement

LONDON: The U.K. government set out plans for the country’s media services and will maintain the current rules preventing product placement in programs made by and for British broadcasters.

The government also called on the U.K. video-on-demand industry to help form a co-regulatory body that will maintain standards of content.
These plans are part of the U.K.’s obligation to implement the European Union’s Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive.

According to the Directive, the U.K. and other member states have until December of this year to enact the compulsory elements, which are expected to lead to new legislation. Work must now begin in three different areas: introducing a system for regulating video-on-demand services; controls over the content of non-EU satellite channels, which are uplinked from a ground station in the U.K.; and product placement in television and video-on-demand services.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham said:
“My priority has always been to make sure we maintain levels of trust between audiences and broadcasters, and protect the standards of broadcasting for which Britain is known worldwide.

“I have listened carefully to the arguments on both sides around product placement, and concluded that it should not be permitted in programs made for this country,” he continues. “There is a lack of evidence of economic benefits, along with very serious concerns about blurring the boundaries between advertising and editorial.

“Britain is known around the world for the high quality of its broadcasting output. We need to continue to preserve editorial integrity as technology advances.

“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, but my preference is to consider all other avenues before allowing product placement.”