TV product placement plan confirmed

TV product placement was officially given the go-ahead today by the government.

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw confirmed the plans that follow last September's announcement that product placement legislation would be relaxed.

It is likely to be met with controversy after the decision was originally slammed by advertising body ISBA, the British Medical Association and the Church of England.

The Guardian quotes Bradshaw as saying that this would "provide meaningful commercial benefits to commercial television companies and programme-makers while taking account of the legitimate concerns that have been expressed".

He continued: "Not to do so would jeopardise the competitiveness of UK programme-makers as against the rest of the EU, and this is something which we cannot afford to do."

As reported earlier in the week, the government watered down its stance on product placement by excluding alcohol, junk food and gambling advertisements.

ITV heralded the vision in November and media analysts believe that the broadcaster will benefit most from product placement.

A spokeswoman at ITV said: "While we do not necessarily agree with the restrictions placed on certain categories, it is a step in the right direction as it will deliver additional revenue for investment in original content in the UK."