Publication Date 2006-11-21 10:10 AM
MediaWeek
Media agencies have begun planning the withdrawal of millions of pounds of junk food advertising and sponsorship from TV shows in the wake of proposed new rules by Ofcom.
The high-profile programming that may be affected includes The X Factor, Popworld,
Big Brother's Little Brother and the MTV brands.
Buyers were seeking to identify which channels and specific shows will fall foul of the regulator's "hitlist", which Ofcom estimates will wipe £39m a year off TV ad revenues, a figure many believe is very conservative.
On Friday, Ofcom announced it had decided not only to ban advertising of junk food within dedicated children's programming, as had been widely expected, but to extend the move to cover all shows with a high under-16 audience, although it rejected calls from the health food lobby for a 9pm watershed.
Shows that have under-16s among their audience that are 20% or more greater than an average index will be subject to the new rules.
ITV shows that could be hit include
The X Factor and
Ant And Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, as well as family movies, although
I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is set to escape.
Channel 4's early peak-time schedule will be hit across the week, with agencies highlighting shows such as The Simpsons, Hollyoaks, Friends and also early showings of Big Brother, as having a higher than average youth audience.
The T4 strand, including shows such as Popworld as well as early morning editions of its Big Brother Spin Off, Big Brother's Little Brother are also affected.
C4 family movies may also be hit, although shows such as Desperate Housewives and the Charlotte Church Show will be reprieved.
Five shows, including Make Me A Supermodel and Pimp My Ride, also fall under the ban, as well as Sunday afternoon films.
Sky One's biggest show, The Simpsons, whose sponsor, Domino's Pizza, has already pulled out, is among those multichannel victims, which also includes music channels such as Emap's Kiss, Smash Hits and Kerrang!, sold by Sky Media, and the MTV stable, sold by Viacom Brand Solutions.
Ofcom estimates music channels will lose £2.4m a year, on top of the £5m set to disappear from dedicated children's TV channels, which will be given until the end of 2008 to phase in the restrictions. In some cases, this could wipe out up to 10% of their revenue.
Agencies stressed clients would not take the risk of being seen to flout the new rules, which come in for non-children's channels in January.
