08 Jan 10

Weekly Broadcast News

8th January 2010

MPs demand 9pm TV watershed for alcohol ads
The long-awaited health select committee report on alcohol abuse has called for tighter restrictions for drinks marketing, which includes the introduction of a 9pm watershed for TV advertising, but has stopped short of calling for a blanket ban. The report, made public on 08.10.09, recommends that government introduce a minimum pricing regime, a measure which is bound to upset supermarkets who believe they should have the freedom to set their own prices without state interference. MPs say a minimum price of 50p per unit would save 3,000 lives per year. The wide-ranging report devotes a chapter to 'Marketing and the Drinks Industry'. It raises concerns that alcohol marketing vastly outspends government alcohol awareness campaigns. According to the report, drinks brands spend up to £800m a year on advertising and sponsorship, dwarfing the COI spend of £17.6m. As a result of this disparity, the report suggest that for every five alcohol ads an advertiser should be required to fund one public health ad. As well as the 9pm watershed proposal, other specific recommendations include:

• Billboards and posters should not be located within 100 meters of any school.
• Cinema advertising for alcohol should be restricted to films classified 18.
• No medium should be used to advertise alcoholic drinks if more than 10% of its audience/readership is under 18 years of age.
• No event should be sponsored if more than 10% of those attending are under 18 years of age.

ISBA joins lobby against TV product placement
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers has made the surprising move of arguing against Government plans to allow product placement in television programmes. In its submission to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's ongoing consultation, ISBA said it believes the introduction of product placement would lead to a "double disadvantage" for advertisers and viewers. It argues that the current system of unpaid prop placement, where programme makers seek out branded products to use within shows, serves both groups better than a paid system. Changing to a paid system would raise costs for advertisers and make viewers more likely to complain, ISBA said, highlighting the fact that no viewer complaints have been upheld in the past 25 years. Bob Wootton, media and advertising director at ISBA, said: "Advertisers are concerned that the existing low-cost system of prop placement will be closed off and that broadcasters will drive them into more expensive paid-for product placement. "Advertisers paying more to place their products might then naturally expect to see them placed more prominently and it is this increased visibility that may well increase complaints from viewers."
Lifting the ban on product placement would lead to UK broadcasters making annual revenues in the region of £25m to £35m per year after five years, according to Ofcom. The consultation closed on 8.01.10.

UK viewers see more ads than in 2000
The average UK TV viewer is exposed to 30% more TV ads a day than was the case in 2000, a new study has reported. Research from Thinkbox has revealed that the "normal" British viewer currently sees 43 commercials per day, up from 33 spots at the turn of the millennium. This means that a total of 2.45 billion impacts are recorded among the country's TV audience as a whole in a 24 hour period. One of the reasons for the overall increase is that the number of available channels has almost doubled from 252 at the start of the decade to 495 in 2009. Moreover, commercial stations have seen their share of overall viewing time improve by five minutes, to 2.37 hours a day, over the same timeframe. Among Thinkbox's other findings were that 39% of UK households now own at least one digital video recording device.

3D drives revenue for Avatar smash
Digital Cinema Media (DCM) is ramping up its commitment to 3D cinema as figures reveal that box office smash Avatar raked in more than 75% of its UK takings from the 3D format. Figures from DCM suggest James Cameron's space epic has been a hit with 3D fans, with the new format accounting for 78% of its takings in the UK. The remaining 22% viewed film sans garish 3D spectacles. Last year witnessed a revival in 3D viewing but critics question its long-term appeal and its aesthetic qualities. The industry is continuing to back the format, though, and this year sees the arrival of high-profile 3D films Alice in Wonderland and Shrek Forever. DCM, meanwhile, is making its own 3D push and now says its provides 3D viewing in 260 of its 2,300 screens nationwide. It aims to have 3D screens in half of its 2,300 screens by the end of the year. While this may encourage some people to "skip" ads, the organisation suggested this group watches 17% more broadcast content than the average, consuming 2% more spots as a result.

Jonathan Ross 'was forced out by BBC'
Jonathan Ross decided to quit the BBC after hearing that he was to be dropped by the corporation, reports have claimed today 08.10.09. The chatshow and radio host is said to have "jumped before he was pushed" after director general Mark Thompson chose not to renew his current contract, which ends in July. It has been alleged that the development came following pressure from the BBC Trust and was influenced by the controversy surrounding Ross's prank calls to Andrew Sachs in 2008.

TV manufacturers back Sky's 3D service
LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony have all revealed plans to support Sky's forthcoming 3D channel in the UK and Ireland with a range of new 3D-ready TV sets. Last July, Sky pledged to launch the UK's first ever 3D channel at some point this year to carry specially-produced movies, along with arts, entertainment and sports content. As the service will run over Sky's existing HD infrastructure, around 1.6 million Sky+ HD customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to access it by upgrading to a 3D TV set.

The Times raises price to £1
The Times is to increase its cover price to £1, bringing it into line with the pricing of the Daily Telegraph, Independent and Guardian for the first time in more than 20 years. The price rise, which will take effect from Monday, will apply to the Monday to Friday editions. It is the first time in 20 years that all four titles have been priced the same. The last time the Times cost the same as its rivals is thought to have been in the early 1990s, just before it launched a price war. The rise highlights the significant issue faced by the Times's parent company, News International, in maintaining revenue as advertising declines. Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, has promised to introduce paywalls for online access to the company's newspaper content later this year.

Global Consumers willing to pay for some online content
Many global consumers are willing to pay for some online content or are open to increased advertising, but attitudes vary greatly by geography, demographics and content type, according to a new survey by Nielsen. Nielsen polled more than 27,000 consumers in 54 countries to determine attitudes about paying for online content and to gauge what types of content consumers were most likely to support financially. More than half (57%) of global consumers are willing to pay for professionally produced content such as music and movies, while 50% are willing to pay for current TV shows. Only 20% of consumers are willing to pay for blogs and less than a quarter (24%) would pay for user-generated video content. Nielsen found consumers are more likely to spend money on what they currently pay for, instead of what they already receive for free. Nearly half of global respondents indicated they would be open to more ads to support free content, but that varies by market. For example, 57% of respondents in the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan are more open to advertising, while just 40% in North America and 39% in Europe feel the same way.
 

Sources: MediaGuardian.co.uk / BBC / MediaTel / WARC / Digital Spy / brandrepublic.com / nma.co.uk / broadcastnow.co.uk / Ofcom