Ofcom Reprimands Sky Over Npower Plug
Media regulator Ofcom has ruled that BSkyB breached the broadcasting codes by giving ‘undue exposure’ to Npower’s sponsorship of Test match cricket last summer.
Ofcom upheld complaints against BSkyB over its ‘Cricket AM’ show transmitted during the Headingley Test between England and Pakistan last August.
The breach, which related to rule 9.6 of the Broadcasting Code over in-programme references to sponsorship, concerned the scripted interview with Npower’s promotional girls at the game which Ofcom ruled was no accidental and therefore broke the rules.
The girls, who were kitted out in branded Npower uniform, attended every day of every Test match last summer.
In a statement the regulator announced: ‘Ofcom considered that the decision to interview the programme sponsor’s promotions staff, wearing uniforms displaying the sponsor’s branding, resulted in references to the sponsor that were not incidental and were therefore in breach of the Code.’
BSkyB defended itself by pointing out that a regular feature on Cricket AM was Sky presenter David Lloyd, interviewing different elements of the Test Match event from players to ground staff, scoreboard operators and serving staff.
According to the broadcaster, Lloyd had intended to interview members of the England cricket team during this segment but when the interviews fell through, the executive producer for the programme took the decision to ask the Npower girls to take part in an interview and to conduct it in a ‘commentary team style’ look-back at the Test so far.
