| MUMBAI:
Sony TV Asia in UK has invited the ire of the British media regulator Ofcom for
product placements during the music reality show Indian Idol. Sony
TV, which is a subscription-based channel that broadcasts on Sky, broadcasts general
entertainment programming aimed at UK-based Asian audiences. The
watchdog has accused the broadcaster of breach of the British broadcasting norms.
Earlier,
a viewer had complained that during an episode of Indian Idol, based on the American
programme American Idol, in December last year there was “flagrant product
placement” of LG KP199 mobile phone. Ofcom
noted that one of the presenters said after a performance to SMS for Bhavya on
52525 or call from your Indian Idol “LG KP199 mobile phone”. Later also,
the presenters mentioned the aforesaid mobile, “The person who leaves the
stage in this round will get a LG mobile KP199 Indian Idol phone. Hope the person
who leaves is not your favourite, so vote now”. Ofcom
also noted that apart from verbal references, there were mobile phones displayed
in front of each of the three judges with signs that clearly indicated the make
and model - LG KP199. The
regulator asked for the broadcaster’s response as set by British Code Rules
suggests that products and services must not be promoted in programmes; no undue
prominence may be given in any programme to a product or service; and product
placement is prohibited. In
its response, the licensee MSM Satellite (Singapore) assured Ofcom that while
a product placement arrangement had been in place when the programme was originally
produced in India, the licensee had not directly benefited from this arrangement
or received any payment or valuable consideration for the inclusion of, or reference
to, the LG mobile phone featured in the programme. In
response to the visual references to the LG mobile phone displayed in front of
the judges, the broadcaster advised that it took steps to cover them with a strap
across the bottom of the screen but accepted that because the strap was transparent,
on occasions the phones and signs were still visible underneath the strap. The
broadcaster said that in subsequent episodes of the programme it had used opaque
straps. However,
the broadcaster did not provide an explanation as to why the presenters had referred
specifically to the LG mobile phone during the programme. Therefore,
Ofcom has cleared out that as per the fundamental principles of European broadcasting
regulation, though Sony had not directly benefited from the product placement,
it was not in breach of Rule 10.5 of the Code. However, such programmes must still
comply with the other rules in the Code, notably in this case the rule regarding
undue prominence. Undue prominence may arise where a product or service is referred
to without editorial justification. Ofcom
judged that there was no editorial justification for displaying these visual references
as well as the verbal references to the mobile phones as they had no connection
to the programme. Thus,
Ofcom found these visual and verbal references to be unduly prominent, in breach
of Rule 10.4 of the Code. In addition, the nature and number of these unduly prominent
references resulted in them being promotional. | 
