Indiantelevision.com Team

(26 November 2009 3:25 pm)

MUMBAI: TV Networks including NBC, ABC, Fox, Nickelodeon, ABC Family and other cable networks have banned a new television commercial (TVC) made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the USA.

The commercial revolves around a little girl who says grace before her family's thanksgiving dinner and earnestly describes in her prayer how turkeys suffer on filthy factory farms.

The networks refused to allow PETA to buy airtime for the 30-second spot, even though they take advertising money from companies that carefully hide animals' true living conditions on factory farms and the cruelty of animal's deaths in slaughterhouses, says PETA in a statement.

The Learning Channel felt that the overall tone of the spot was very disturbing for our family viewers. NBC too said that this commercial did not meet its Universal standards.

On the other hand, the Discovery Kids channel commented, "Discovery, which as a whole, is very conservative and legal, feels that this spot would be too disturbing and traumatic for children to view."

PETA had designed the ad to run during family programmes, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, so that young viewers could decide for themselves whether or not to eat turkey this year.

Commented PETA EVP Tracy Reiman, "Young people have a natural affinity for all animals, including the gentle turkey, whom Benjamin Franklin wanted to make our national bird. They deserve to know why birds raised for the Thanksgiving table have nothing to be thankful for. Rather than contributing to factory-farming cruelty, many kids are now asking their parents for vegan holiday meals."