ITC Bans Ad Featuring Gays From Cartoon Network

The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has upheld a complaint, documented in this month’s Television Advertising Complaints Report, against the Cartoon Network.

The Network broadcast an advert for Impulse which features gay men, and the ITC pointed out to the channel that the ad should not have been shown at all, as the restrictions imposed on it were that it be broadcast after 7:30pm, which is more severe than an ‘ex-kids’ restriction. The Cartoon Network’s counter-argument was that it has a substantial adult audience, particularly in the evening, and therefore that the ads should be allowed to be shown on the channel subject to relevant timing conditions.

However, the ITC found that the ratio of adult to children viewers did not vary significantly from daytime to evening viewing. The watchdog also discovered that the channel’s programming consistently appealed to the under 10s, and therefore upheld the complaint against the showing of that particular advertisement.

Adverts for Scalextric and a Nintendo computer game also drew complaints of sexism from viewers. The Nintendo ad prompted 72 complaints after it asked the question: “Willst thou get the girl?….or play like one?”. The advertisement for Scalextric, which drew 33 complaints, showed a father in a maternity ward cradling a baby boy, in eager anticipation of their both being able to play Scalextric together. The man is reprimanded by a nurse, who advises him to return to his wife and newly born baby girl. The caption reads: “Scalextric. It’s a boy thing.”

The ITC did not uphold the complaints, although the regulator did acknowledge that both adverts had sexist overtones, and could see why some viewers might be offended or concerned.

ITC: 0171 255 3000