BSC Dismisses X-box Complaint Upheld By ITC

The Broadcasting Standards commission has dismissed complaints against a TV advert for Microsoft’s X-Box, despite the ITC banning it from the airwaves.

The advert featured a new born baby being shot through a window, the baby ages as he travels and ends up crashing into his own grave.

The BSC felt the surreal treatment of ageing was unlikely to have caused widespread offence in the context of the advert. However, it acknowledged that the ironic message of the advert and its depiction of ageing would not be acceptable to all viewers. The ITC, in contrast, branded the advert “offensive” and “inappropriate”, with the final scene considered to be “particularly offensive” to the recently bereaved (see ITC Puts An X In Microsoft’s Box).

In a separate investigation the BSC also decided not to uphold complaints over the portrayal of child abuse in an advertisement for the NSPCC. The advert illustrated the suffering of a cartoon child, which was later replaced by a real child at the hands of an adult abuser. The committee believe the advert did not exceed acceptable boundaries for broadcasting and was unlikely to cause offence as it was scheduled for broadcast after the watershed.

A recent survey by the ASA warned advertisers to be wary of adverts containing children and adverts which children may be exposed to (see ASA Tells Advertisers To Beware Of Children). The NSPCC, aware of the sensitive nature of the commercial, conducted extensive research prior to broadcasting.

BSC: 020 7808 1000 www.bsc.org.uk

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