ITV Joins Vote Scandal List For X Factor Overcharging
ITV has been put in the spotlight following Channel 4’s Richard and Judy ‘You Say We Pay’ controversy, after Britain’s biggest broadcaster admitted to overcharging red button users by a combined total of £200,000 on eviction votes for The X Factor.
ITV said it had discovered that viewers using the red button on Sky Digital remotes to take part in eviction votes for the latest series of The X Factor, which ended in December, had been overcharged by 15p, generating £200,000 in extra revenues.
The broadcaster added that it would provide refunds to any viewers who had voted via their Sky red button, as well as making a £200,000 donation to Childline, the NSPCC’s 24-hour helpline.
However, ITV lost £55,000 in revenues on a separate interactive Sky red button service for The X Factor, which invited viewers to take part in a competition to win prizes.
Viewers who took part in the red button competition were undercharged by 65p.
ITV said the charging mistakes were its own fault, saying inputting errors were the cause.
The charging errors came to light last week during an ITV audit of a statement of red button interactive revenues supplied by Sky for the last series of The X Factor, between October 14 and December 16.
ITV said it had notified Icstis, the premium-rate services regulator, about the red button charging problem.
“We very much regret that a mistake was made in the red button payment systems during the last series of The X Factor and we apologise to all those viewers affected,” ITV said in a statement.
“ITV operates a robust audit system which closely monitors interactive revenues and this system picked up the incorrect pricing at the first available opportunity.
“This was an isolated incident of human error and since this incident ITV has undertaken a thorough review of the operation of its interactive services and systems. We are confident that we have a fair and transparent system that works and delivers a good service to viewers.
“Any red button viewers wishing to claim the 15p per vote overpayment can do so by contacting ITV on freephone 08000 636263 or through our website www.itv.com/help, and will be expected to provide telephone bill proof of entry.”
Icstis is already investigating alleged irregularities for phone-ins to Channel 4’s Richard and Judy (see Richard & Judy Phone Quiz Controversy Takes New Twist) and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen (see Saturday Kitchen Goes Live After Phone-In Mistake).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk