The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has published a consultation paper on the regulation of interactive services. After a period of discussion with broadcasters and interested parties, it has identified the main issues in the emerging technology.
The regulatory body has decided not to introduce a new code but to amend current guidelines as appropriate. The main issue is the increased level of active viewer choice, which renders some current rules obsolete but means that constant review is necessary.
“One of the premises underlying the ITC’s existing advertising content and scheduling rules is that viewers do not make conscious decisions about whether to view advertisements and therefore the advertising needs to respect the concerns of all viewers. Where the viewer is able to make a deliberate and informed choice it follows that certain elements of these rules can be disapplied,” said Stephen Locke, the ITC director of advertising and sponsorship.
The commission identified two different kinds of interactive services which need different regulation: dedicated interactive services are stand-alone services such as Open, which link the viewer to a shopping mall; enhanced programme services allow the viewer to interact with ads and programmes from a linear environment. In the first case the environment is purely commercial and issues such as misleadingness are the only ones to apply. In the second instance however, the same rules as are applied to linear programmes should be enforced.
Thus programme content and scheduling must not be determined by advertisers and sponsors, ads and programmes must be clearly separated, and notions of taste and decency need to be taken into account, according to the ITC’s findings.
Peter Rogers, chief executive of the ITC, said: “A lighter touch and more streamlined approach to the regulation of interactive services is essential. I hope we have struck a sensible balance between viewers’ interests and commercial considerations. But this is a new and rapidly evolving area. We may not yet have it right and we shall review the responses to this consultation with an open mind.”
The discussion is timely as BSkyB announced the launch of the first interactive ad yesterday (see BSkyB To Broadcast First National Interactive Ad).
Copies of the consultation paper are available at www.itc.org.uk
Independent Television Commission: 020 7306 7743
