Culture Secretary Not In Favour Of Product Placement

Culture secretary Andy Burnham has voiced opposition to product placement in television in his first major speech on broadcasting.

Speaking to an audience of media industry figures, he said: “Here and now I do want to signal that I think there are some lines that we should not cross – one of which is that you can buy the space between programmes on commercial channels, but not the space between them.”

The stage is now set for a clash between the government and commercial broadcasters, with the industry favouring a relaxation of the rules on product placement to bring them more in line with the US and other countries.

Burnham said: “I can see the arguments and the benefits of product placement, and understand why people feel it is an inevitability given the pressures they are under.

“But I can also see the costs. There is a risk that product placement exacerbates this decline in trust [in television] and contaminates our programmes.”

Burnham also spoke about regulation of violent and sexual content on the internet, suggesting that the government could have a role in ensuring standards on the internet are on a par with those of radio and television.

The speech follows a European Commission directive on audio visual industries which requires member states to say by the summer whether they will allow product placement.

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