Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
The British government has officially legalized product placement in television programs by putting legislation in parliament before it is dissolved for the general election.
Ben Bradshaw announced the liberalization after months of severe criticism from colleagues and public health advocates for contradicting his predecessor?s decision.
Product placement can be used for current productions and commissions. However, the completed programs must not be aired until an unspecified date?most likely during autumn.
There are still products that are prohibited product placements, which are: foods high in fat, salt or sugar, the national lottery, alcohol, infant baby milk, over-the-counter medicines, cigarettes and other smoking products.
Apart from prohibited product placements, there are also prohibited television genres. This includes children?s programs, religious programs, and news.
Also, the legislation states that the product placements will not affect the editorial independence of the content; and will not directly encourage purchases and rentals.
