Govt reduces TV product placement plan

The government's plan to relax the rules governing product placement on TV has been scaled back following public health opposition from ministers, it has emerged.

Under the new arrangement, TV producers will still be banned from featuring any branded alcohol, junk food or gambling products in their programmes, reports The Guardian.

The revision comes after health secretary Andy Burnham and environment secretary Hilary Benn lobbied strongly against certain parts of culture secretary Ben Bradshaw's initiative to free up TV product placement regulations.

Echoing similar concerns expressed by the British Medical Association, Burnham and Benn argued that unrestricted advertising could lead to an increase in various public health threats, such as obesity and alcohol addiction.

Bradshaw's decision to take greater account of such objections was revealed in a correspondence to cabinet colleagues, in which he stated that products of concern would remain banned.

"Following consultation with the Department of Health, I propose to ban product placement in the following areas: alcoholic drinks, HFSS [high in fat, sugar or salt] food, gambling, smoking accessories, over-the-counter medicines and baby food," he said.

The new proposal means that products by firms such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's will be excluded from product placement on TV, which could represent a major blow for broadcasters hoping to unlock millions in additional revenue.

However, Whitehall insiders stated that the public health risks posed from permitting such advertising should take precedence over the need to generate short-term income for commercial broadcasters.

While he was culture secretary, Burnham ruled out TV product placement as he considered that it would blur the line between advertising and editorial.

However, Bradshaw took a much different stance upon succeeding him at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, instead viewing the approach as a way to boost the fortunes of beleaguered broadcasters.

In response to the product placement climbdown, Children's Food Campaign representative Richard Watts expressed his delight that junk food would now be excluded.

However, he added: "We are still uneasy that plans to allow some product placement will go ahead because this could allow a future government to sneak placement of junk food through the back door.

"Future governments should be warned that any attempt to reintroduce product placement of junk food will be met by the same massive level of opposition that won this campaign."