Media regulator Ofcom has published a timetable for the introduction of product placement to commercial broadcasting in the UK by the end of 2010. 

The introduction of product placement to British television and radio has long been a source of speculation and controversy in marketing news. To date, the UK is the only EU country besides Denmark where product placement was not legal or planned for introduction.

In February this year though, this changed when then-culture secretary Ben Bradshaw confirmed that the government would relax the regulation of British commercial TV and radio, opening new sources of revenue for broadcasters and production companies. The legislation to allow Ofcom to revise the broadcasting code was approved by parliament in the last days of the Labour government and unlike many acts passed during this period, has received support from the new  coalition government.

Now Ofcom is launching its final consultation on its proposals for product placement in the UK, which will close on the 17th of September.

Under the proposals for TV, product placement would be banned from children’s programming as well as religious or current and consumer affairs programmes made in the UK. The placement of cigarettes and other tobacco products, prescription only medicines, infant formulae, alcoholic drinks, high fat/salt/sugar food and drink, and gambling services will remain prohibited.

In its consultation, Ofcom is seeking opinions about whether to allow the practice in specialist factual output, as opposed to general current affairs programming – for example education, science, medical or arts programming and investigative documentaries.

For radio product placement, it has several different proposals for the integration of product placement to commercial broadcasts. These range from nothing more than the introduction of sponsorship credits, the integration of transparent paid-for commercial references into programming, or for allowing radio stations complete discretion on the integration of commercial elements into programming.

It is also seeking views about whether restrictions should remain for the placement of potentially harmful products or services in radio programming, as well as whether product placement should remain prohibited from children’s, consumer affairs, news, political and religious programming on commercial radio.

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