The Church is arguing strongly against product placement in UK television.
The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a product placement consultation period to test its possibilities for UK television.
Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has already made public that he intends to lift the current ban of product placement on British television. Bradshaw says that the product placements will help television companies survive the recession.
In response to these developments, the Church said that product placements will blur the line between editorial content and commercial messages, which could damage public trust in broadcasters.
“Retaining trust in broadcasters’ integrity and editorial balance is key to maintaining strong relationships between audience and broadcaster, which in turn has both civic/societal and economic benefits,” read the Archbishops’ Council Communications Office and Mission and Public Affairs Division. “For this reason, the Church of England is opposed to changes to the current regulatory regime, even outside public service content and news and current affairs.”
The statement continued: “Given the ongoing uncertainty about the future prospects for advertising revenues, it seems highly unlikely that any large potential sponsor is currently in a position to make firm claims about the additional expenditure it would be likely to make under a different regulatory regime.”
And the Church is not alone. Its views have been supported by the British Medical Association, which claimed that product placement will affect the nutrition of young viewers by encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle.
“Studies show that children are particularly susceptible to embedded brand messages and these operate at a subconscious level,” explained the British Medical association.