| MUMBAI:
NDTV Imagine and B4U Movies have invited the ire of the British media regulator
Ofcom (Office of Communication) for carrying advertising messages in the sponsorship
credits. Both
the channels have been pulled up for breach of Rule 9.13, according to which sponsorship
credits must not contain advertising messages or calls to action. Ofcom
has also said in its guidelines that “If sponsor credits contain contact
details, these should include the minimum information necessary to allow viewers
to make initial contact with the sponsor should they so wish.” As
per Ofcom, Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) NDTV Imagine’s film
strand, ‘Imagine Blockbusters,’ was sponsored by Himalaya Carpets. And
from 23 April to 18 July, the sponsorship credit included the text: “Free
underlay - £8.40 sq.m” and “Free Fitting”. Also, the website
as well as the addresses and telephone numbers of the branches of the sponsor
appeared on screen. Ofcom
asked the channel’s clarification on the issue. The broadcaster said in its
response that it realised that the sponsor credit was “problematic”
because it featured the promotional messages “free underlay £8.40”
and “free fitting”. It considered that while not articulated verbally,
the messages may be construed as advertising messages. As a result it immediately
ceased broadcasting the credit. NDTV
Imagine said that it has since received “specific training on sponsorship
and commercial references in programmes from a compliance consultant”, and
assured Ofcom that it has “improved its compliance processes” in this
area. Ofcom
considered that providing the addresses and telephone numbers as well as the company’s
website address in the end frame of the credit, exceeded the minimum information
necessary to allow viewers to make initial contact with the sponsor and found
this sponsorship credit in breach of Rule 9.13 of the Code. Meanwhile,
B4U Movies, the movie channel that broadcasts Bollywood films and related programming,
was in the same space for sponsorship of A Wednesday. The
channel aired the movie on 28 June at 8 pm local time. The movie was sponsored
by Ginco (supplier of nuts, sweets and snacks). The credits consisted of an image
of three different products each with the price tag visible on them. The accompanying
voiceover stated: “Ginco - wholesalers of finest quality products” and
the sponsor’s telephone number.
In
response to the Ofcom, licensee, B4U Network Europe Ltd said that the credits
were “commissioned specifically as sponsorship credits and did not contain
any advertising messages or calls to action that encouraged viewers to purchase
specific products or services.” It continued that the voiceover “wholesalers
of finest quality products” was a brief description of the sponsor’s
services and the voiceover did not actively encourage viewers to purchase the
product. B4U
accepted that the reference to the price of the product was an “oversight”
on the part of the broadcaster and said that it would remove this in future. However,
the broadcaster argued that this was only a small element of the sponsorship credit,
and that overall the credit identified the sponsorship arrangement and did not
contain any direct appeal to viewers to buy the sponsor’s product.
Ofcom acknowledged
that the pricing information was a small element of the credit, nevertheless price
information is considered to be an advertising message, whether it is the focus
of the credit or not. Ofcom went on to consider the overall focus of the credits
and took into account the combination of the pricing information with the voiceover
and the lack of emphasis on the sponsorship arrangement. Ofcom considered that
the overall effect of these elements was to focus on the sponsor’s business,
rather than on the sponsorship arrangement. Thus, it found the credit in breach
of Rule 9.13 of the Code. | 
