ASA Sounds Off Over Five’s Loud Adverts
Five has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over the volume of advertisements shown between programmes, with the broadcast watchdog finding the station in breach of codes for maximum sound levels.
The ASA ruled that advertisements shown during a break in the film Groundhog Day were louder than permitted by the CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code, despite Five’s assertion that it had not infringed on regulations.
The ASA explained that Ofcom’s technical department provides expert advice and conducts tests for noise related issues in advertisements, and that after an examination of the sound levels of advertisements during the times highlighted by a viewer complaint, it reported that almost all the advertisements sounded subjectively louder than the main content of the surrounding film.
The subjective loudness was due, Ofcom explained, to the use of audio compression, meaning that the minimum sound levels of the advertisements had been raised during the production stage, resulting in an almost constant loudness.
In addition, the film contained several scenes of quiet dialogue, some of which immediately preceded advertising breaks, adding to the sense of increased volume by viewers.
The TV Advertising Standards Code requires compressed advertisements to have their peak volume reduced before broadcast. They must maintain a particular range of volume to ensure the subjective volume is consistent with adjacent programming to prevent excessive loudness changes. Ofcom did not consider the range of volume was at the required level, with the result that the advertisements sounded out of place against the surrounding programme.
Ofcom’s examination concluded that the peak volume of the advertisements was higher than permitted by the Code, a finding which was agreed with by the ASA, which reminded Five to ensure that its output levels for advertisements comply with the Code in the future.
ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk Five: 020 7550 5555 www.five.tv Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk