United Kingdom

[GB] ITC Decides and Consults on Cross Promotions

IRIS 1998-2:1/26

Stefaan Verhulst

PCMLP University of Oxford

At the end of December 1997, the Independent Television Commission (ITC) decided that BSkyB's cross-promotion of its pay-per-view services to all viewers of Sky channels, including cable subscribers who cannot access the Sky Box Office, is not anti-competitive and will be allowed to continue. The ITC however made the provision that cable operators must be permitted to opt-out of BskyB "call to action" promotions if they wish to. If this happens the cable operator must substitute a current BSkyB `generic' promotion, which is a general awareness-type ad, in its place.

In the meantime the ITC also launched an eight week consultation on whether the arrangements for cross-promotions between ITV and Channel 4 should continue after 1998. At the moment the two channels are required to cross-promote each others' programmes twice per day, along with captioned voice-overs at "common junction points" between slots. The ITC now believes that it can be argued that there is plenty of programme information already available to viewers without a regulatory requirement for cross-promotions. Submissions on the matter should reach the ITC by 3 March 1998.