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Although sponsorship of programmes has been allowed in the United Kingdom for fifteen years, sponsorship of channels has so far not been permitted. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has announced that, after extensive consultation, it has decided to amend its Broadcasting Code to permit the sponsorship of commercial television channels and radio stations. Important safeguards are retained to preserve editorial integrity and to protect children. Originally Ofcom had proposed that channels which contained programmes which could not be sponsored (news and current affairs) could not themselves be...

A new system of tax relief, based on the Cultural Test, was announced by the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech and approved by Parliament in April 2006 (see IRIS 2006-2: 13). However, the Test, as approved by Parliament and as submitted to the European Commission in order to clear the State Aid test, in December 2005, was not approved at the European level. Subsequently, the UK Government has been working with the Commission to evolve a revised test. This was approved by the European Commission on 22 November 2006; the scheme has been approved until 31 March 2012, assessed on...

ICSTIS is the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services in the UK. It is the “industry funded regulatory body for all premium rate charged telecommunication services”. In a recent adjudication involving Channel 4 and two service providers, ICSTIS decided that its Code of Practice had been breached. It is the two service providers who actually have the obligations. The problem arose when a “phone vote” appeared to have resulted in the eviction of a number of “Big Brother House” occupants. However, several were subsequently re-admitted, thus allowing...

A viewer has complained to the UK regulator, Ofcom, about certain scenes in cartoons featuring Tom and Jerry (“Texas Tom” and “Tennis Chumps”). In both, the issue is smoking, either to impress or to glamorise it. Rule 1.10 of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code states: The use of illegal drugs, the abuse of drugs, smoking, solvent abuse and the misuse of alcohol: - must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children unless there is strong editorial justification; - must generally be avoided and in any case must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes broadcast before the...

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has issued a paper on the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) after digital switchover takes place in 2008. This supplements its earlier three-stage review of public service broadcasting (see IRIS 2004-6: 12, IRIS 2004-10: 12 and IRIS 2005-4: 10) and prepares the way for the second PSB review required by 2009 under the Communications Act 2003. The paper notes that the British system of PSB has worked on the basis of increasing the number of PSB providers. However, the move to fragmented markets after digitalisation may mean that it is no longer realistic...