Icstis Gets Tough With New TV Quiz Rules
Tough new rules for television quiz shows are set to be introduced by Icstis, the premium rate phone lines regulator.
The regulations, which will come into force in a month, will include insisting on better pricing information and greater transparency about how likely calls are to get through.
The watchdog said the new rules would “boost consumer trust and confidence” in quiz TV services and would give viewers a better understanding of their chances of getting through to programmes, as well as clearer information about the cost of calls.
Viewers’ trust of the quiz format has been damaged of late, with Quiz Call on Five recently being found guilty of breaching broadcast codes (see Breach Of Broadcast Code Adds To Phone-In Scandal). The row began when problems concerning the Richard and Judy quiz, ‘You Say, We Pay’, were revealed in the press (see Richard & Judy Phone Quiz Controversy Takes New Twist), with the issue snowballing.
BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen has been involved, as has ITV1’s Dancing on Ice (see Dancing On Ice Finale Misses Out On 11,500 Text Votes) and The X Factor (see ITV Joins Vote Scandal List For X Factor Overcharging).
ITV was so concerned by phone-in problems that it instructed auditor Deloitte to carry out a review of any shows which could be affected. Following the review, the broadcaster decided to axe its quiz channel ITV Play, replacing it with a time-shifted channel, ITV2+1 (see ITV Axes Quiz Channel).
Five suspended programming involving premium rate phone-ins last month, after Endemol UK told the channel about issues surrounding its quiz show Brainteaser (see Five Suspends Brainteaser Amidst Phone-In Controversy).
The new rules will force broadcasters to show a prominent and permanently visible standalone display showing the total number of calls entered to the service in the preceding 15-minute period. This will then have to be updated every 10 minutes.
Pricing information will also have to be clarified by a presenter or by means of voiceover at intervals of no more than 10 minutes while all callers will be warned about the cost of calls for every £10 they spend in any given day.
Icstis chief executive, George Kidd, said: “We believe these new measures, which are designed to address the concerns that have been raised recently, will go a long way to restoring consumer trust in this form of TV quiz.
“We have acted at great speed and have worked closely with Ofcom, broadcasters, programme makers and telephone companies, who have all been supportive in making sure that the changes could be introduced as soon as possible.”
The results of Icstis’ report into Richard and Judy is expected early next month. Media watchdog Ofcom has also launched its own investigation in call-TV services (see Ofcom Announces Phone-In Investigation).
Icstis: www.icstis.org.uk Ofcom: www.ofcom.org.uk