Rulings from the advertising standards body are a common feature in marketing news but today marks the first time that ASA has ruled against an advert played solely on the growing video-on-demand (VoD) format.

Today ASA banned a trailer for a 15-rated zombie film which appeared in the X-Factor final last year – but only to those viewing the programme through ITV’s online VoD player. Although the trailer for Paramount’s Carriers was given a post-9pm watershed ban for linear TV, viewers who watched the programme after broadcast on VoD were able to see it – technically breaching ASA regulations.

Following a complaint to ASA that the advert was “frightening” and inappropriate for display during a family programme, the watchdog investigated the advert.

The clip featured images of body bags and dead people reanimating whilst narration warned viewers that “The sick are already dead – avoid populated areas at all costs.”

ASA has now banned the ad, making it the first ever VoD advert to fall afoul of the regulator. The watchdog noted that ITV could have avoided the ruling by implementing the over-18 safeguards available to VoD systems or even by simply playing a warning message over scenes in the trailer.

Paramount has said that it had purchased ad space from ITV “in good faith” and had assumed that the watershed would equally apply to the VoD service. ITV said that it had made a “subjective judgement” over the VoD advert and had not received any complaints directly.

The advert may still be broadcast in the future if safeguards are implemented.

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