The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) yesterday, April 27th published the revised General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes previously announced in March. The revised code details will come in to effect from Monday, May 2nd and will see paid product placement permitted on Irish television.
Following yesterday’s publication, Irish broadcasters will be permitted to include paid product placement in programming that they make or commission from May 2nd. There will be some exceptions to the permission granted; paid product placement will still not be allowed in children’s programmes, during news and current affairs programmes, documentaries, religious programmes and services or talk/chat shows where more than 20% of the programme regularly includes news and current affairs.
In a release form the group, BAI Chief Executive Michael O’Keeffe thanked members of the public who contributed to the consultation undertaken in January of this year as to both the General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes. He had previously commented on the introduction of paid product placement to Irish screens, saying: ”Paid product placement must be strongly regulated to ensure that the integrity and independence of programmes and programme makers is maintained. It is for this reason that paid product placement will be prohibited in a range of programmes and will only be acceptable when it complies with a broad range of rules intended to protect the interests of the audiences”.
The new publication means that, from May 2nd onwards, broadcasters will have to notify audiences that a programme they are watching contains product placement and will also have to list the names of companies that have provided products and services included in a programme in the show’s end credits. In a further move, Irish broadcasters will be required to include a written announcement before such programmes and to generally promote the measures they use to notify audiences that a programme contains product placement.
To read the publication as to the BAI’s revised General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes click here
