ITV ‘stretching ad break rules’

The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers has hit out at ITV over its hypocritical stance on advertising breaks. It claims that ITV is stretching Independent Television Commission rules.

At an ISBA conference last week, the head of the group’s broadcast action group, John Blakemore, claimed ITV to a “significant degree” is already transmitting nine minutes or more of advertising an hour.

ITC rules state that in any one day, advertising must not exceed an average of 7.5 minutes per hour of peak broadcasting, and no more than 12 minutes in any clock hour.

A study the action group undertook last year showed that on ITV in London, 17 per cent of prime-time clock hours – which account for 70 per cent of viewing – carried nine minutes or more advertising.

Other results of the study show that in Yorkshire and Anglia, 29 per cent of clock hours carried nine minutes or more of spot advertising, while Central and Meridian had 31 per cent.

“At the same time, ITV is also on record in the public minutes of an advertiser liaison group meeting as stating that ‘there were frequent instances of nine and ten minutes [of advertising in] clock hours’,” Blakemore says.

ITV companies claim extra commercial minutage will reduce time available for programme promotions, and would have an adverse effect on TV audiences. Blakemore believes this argument is undercut by its present minutage policy.

ISBA’s action group is pushing for the times to be stretched to match EU guidelines, which allow nine minutes an hour. Currently satellite and cable follow the European ruling of nine minutes an hour.