The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) have today welcomed research by our co-regulatory partner, Ofcom, into children’s exposure to alcohol advertising on TV. The research was commissioned in light of the Government’s Alcohol Strategy.
In response to the Strategy, BCAP has been undertaking work to make sure that the regulation that limits children’s exposure to alcohol advertising remains effective. Ofcom’s research will feed into that work. BCAP will set out its recommendations in October 2013.
The advertising rules prohibit alcohol from being advertised in or adjacent to programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 18.
An audience profiling tool helps broadcasters to predict which programmes are likely to have particular appeal to young people and is used in instances where it is not clear who the programme is likely to appeal to. Programmes that are obviously made for or principally directed at children cannot carry alcohol ads regardless of the audience profile.
The ASA has begun investigating audience data, provided by Ofcom, to establish whether there have been breaches of the scheduling rules and will take action where appropriate. BCAP will also make sure that the scheduling guidance is clear and easy to follow.
The TV scheduling rules can be found here.
Letter to Ofcom from ASA Chief Executive, Guy ParkerJames Best_Ed Richards_Alcohol Research.pdf
Ofcom’s research can be found here
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