Italy

[IT] Maximum of Six Minispots Allowed during Soccer Games

IRIS 2005-9:1/25

Maja Cappello

Autorità per le garanzie nelle comunicazioni (AGCOM)

On 28 July 2005, the Autorità per le garanzie nelle comunicazioni (Communications Authority - AGCOM) decided to amend once again the regulation on commercial advertising, in particular the provision concerning the insertion of advertising during the broadcasting of soccer games. This issue has been regulated several times during the past years due to an infringement procedure of the European Commissionin relation to Article 11, paragraph 2, of the Television Without Frontiers Directive.

Originally, Regulation no. 538/01/CSP (see IRIS 2001-9: 11) stated thatduring the transmission of sports events, advertising and teleshopping spots could only be inserted during the intervals which are foreseen by the official game regulations of the event being broadcast or during the pauses of the game, provided that the advertising break did not interrupt the transmission of the sports action in progress. With Deliberation no. 250/04/CSP, the reference to the pauses of the game was replaced with a reference to the periods of break of the game that may be added to the prescribed duration (see IRIS 2004-10: 14), according to what is stated in the Italian version of paragraph 23 of the Interpretative Communication of the European Commission on Advertising (see IRIS 2004-6: 4).

This last amendment introduces a threshold in relation to the number of minispots that can be inserted during the breaks of soccer games and establishes that a maximum of six isolated teleshopping and advertising spots can be transmitted during the regular halves of the game.