The ITC has upheld complaints about two television adverts by Cable & Wireless. Seven viewers in the Granada region complained when an advert about the company’s digital television cable service aired with the strapline “The most advanced digital TV on earth is here.” At the time, the full digital service was not available in the complainants’ area.
A further two viewers who signed up to the company’s digital television service on the strength of an advert which referred to “free TV Internet” also had their complaints upheld. The service the viewers subscribed to did not give them access to the whole of the world wide web, as they had assumed, but only to a group of specially selected sites. The ITC felt it was not unreasonable for viewers to have made this assumption and that therefore the advert was misleading.
Complaints were made by 84 viewers regarding an advert for Tango featuring people harassing a young man through Tango megaphones. The advert was withdrawn (see ITC Bans Tango Ad) and the complaints upheld. The ITC agreed that the advert could encourage copycat bullying in children and was therefore harmful.
Independent Television Commission: 020 7306 7743
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