Broadcast Minister Hints At TV Phone-In Ban
Shaun Woodward, the broadcast minister, has said that the government would consider implementing a total ban on premium rate phone-ins if broadcasters do not clean up their act.
Woodward warned broadcasters that the government took such breaches very seriously and would be prepared to intervene and legislate against them, in a move similar to Ofcom’s introduction of stricter rules on junk food advertising to children last November (see Ofcom To Phase In HFSS Restrictions).
“In the same way the advertising of children’s junk food was banned, we would be prepared to do the same here, though of course I would much rather that it didn’t come to that and that the broadcasters got their own house in order,” said Woodward, speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch.
He also admitted that he had launched his own personal investigation into premium rate phone services, by attempting to compete on the ITV Play channel before the current controversy blew up in February.
ITV Play was axed earlier in the year, being replaced by the time-shifted channel ITV2+1, after a review of its interactive services (see ITV Axes Quiz Channel).
Woodward said that he “got through” the second time he played the ITV Play game but failed to get through on a number of other attempts.
“This made me realise that there was an issue here long before it was put before the select committee,” he added.
Icstis recently introduced rules forcing broadcasters to display better pricing information and to be more transparent about the odds of winning, following much debate around the issue (see Icstis Gets Tough With New TV Quiz Rules).
Media watchdog Ofcom is also conducting its own review of premium rate phone-ins and interactive services after receiving complaints about 23 different programmes (see Ofcom Announces Phone-In Investigation).
Shows implicated in the row include Richard and Judy, whose ‘You Say We Pay’ competition has now been scrapped (see Richard & Judy Phone Quiz Controversy Takes New Twist), Blue Peter (see Blue Peter Fakes Winner, Joins Phone-In Blacklist), The X-Factor (see ITV Joins Vote Scandal List For X Factor Overcharging), Saturday Kitchen, Brainteaser and Quiz Call (see Breach Of Broadcast Code Adds To Phone-In Scandal).
Last month GMTV sacked the company that controlled its phone-in and text competitions, Opera Interactive Technology, after irregularities were discovered in the way it operated (see GMTV Claims It Had No Idea Of Apparent Phone-In Problems).
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