ITC To Monitor Heinz Food Show On Five
The Independent Television Commission is to monitor Five’s new cooking show, Dinner Doctors, which has been created and paid for by Heinz.
The controversial new series focuses on recipes featuring Heinz products, such as baked beans and macaroni cheese. Heinz branding will not appear in the programme itself, but sponsorship idents will form part of a £2 million campaign to promote the company’s beans and pasta meals.
It is understood that consumer groups have already raised concerns that the show will promote Heinz products at the expense of editorial independence. The ITC plans to keep a close eye on the programme and a spokeswoman for the TV watchdog said: “We are monitoring the programme as we do all new series, but it would be wrong to say the show is specifically under investigation.”
Dinner Doctors will be monitored to ensure the Heinz brand is not promoted during the show. ITC rules strictly prevent commercial products from being given undue prominence in any programme and seek to ensure that “no impression is created of external commercial influence on the editorial process.”
Advertiser funded programming such as this raises difficult issues for programme makers and many believe its growth is the inevitable result of the increasing erosion of editorial independence in pursuit of increased ad revenue.
Speaking at last year’s Guardian Edinburgh International Festival, Sara Ramsden, head of science and education at Channel 4, argued that advertiser funded programming will not become a significant part of the peak-time schedule on the UK’s main commercial terrestrial channels unless the quality improves (see GEITF 2002: Ad Funded Programming Not Up To Scratch).
The ITC recently upheld complaints against an episode of Channel 4’s teenage drama series, As If, for promoting Pizza Hut within its storyline (see ITC Raps Channel 4’s As If Over Product Placement).
ITC: 0207 306 7743 www.itc.org.uk
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