BC
On recorded shows, quite often they will be blurred out if they are obvious (Was it Pepsi cups on American Idol? That sort of thing). Acquisitions will always go through compliance, where anything that might trouble Ofcom would be edited out.
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
Blake Connolly
Founding member
Not sure where to post this and do not think it warrants its own thread. However I am wondering what the BBC and other UK broadcasters handle product placement, or promotional consideration in US and other international shows?
On recorded shows, quite often they will be blurred out if they are obvious (Was it Pepsi cups on American Idol? That sort of thing). Acquisitions will always go through compliance, where anything that might trouble Ofcom would be edited out.
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
HC
Blake has mentioned how sport gets around this. Any US dramas that have paid placements in them unless it's very blatant (character opens fridge door, camera angle from back of fridge, shot lingers on a Coke can for a long duration etc) usually pass without cuts.
Although saying that, I'm sure a CNBC rerun once blurred out the Apple logo from the laptop on Jimmy Fallons desk for a couple of episodes.
Likewise the producers 'promotional consideration provided by.. ' in the credit roll is usually edited out.
Not sure where to post this and do not think it warrants its own thread. However I am wondering what the BBC and other UK broadcasters handle product placement, or promotional consideration in US and other international shows?
Blake has mentioned how sport gets around this. Any US dramas that have paid placements in them unless it's very blatant (character opens fridge door, camera angle from back of fridge, shot lingers on a Coke can for a long duration etc) usually pass without cuts.
Although saying that, I'm sure a CNBC rerun once blurred out the Apple logo from the laptop on Jimmy Fallons desk for a couple of episodes.
Likewise the producers 'promotional consideration provided by.. ' in the credit roll is usually edited out.
IN
On recorded shows, quite often they will be blurred out if they are obvious (Was it Pepsi cups on American Idol? That sort of thing). Acquisitions will always go through compliance, where anything that might trouble Ofcom would be edited out.
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
The Apprentice US was always an interesting one I thought, since most of the tasks were explicitly working for brands - some of them didn't/don't trade over here so I imagine weren't problems (Arby's, Best Buy) but quite a few did. No easy way of editing out product placement when the task is 'build in an advertising experience for Microsoft Xbox 360'.
Not sure where to post this and do not think it warrants its own thread. However I am wondering what the BBC and other UK broadcasters handle product placement, or promotional consideration in US and other international shows?
On recorded shows, quite often they will be blurred out if they are obvious (Was it Pepsi cups on American Idol? That sort of thing). Acquisitions will always go through compliance, where anything that might trouble Ofcom would be edited out.
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
The Apprentice US was always an interesting one I thought, since most of the tasks were explicitly working for brands - some of them didn't/don't trade over here so I imagine weren't problems (Arby's, Best Buy) but quite a few did. No easy way of editing out product placement when the task is 'build in an advertising experience for Microsoft Xbox 360'.
TI
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
What about split screen ads like this
Do you simply cover them up or is there nothing you can do about them?
I work on sport channels where we take a lot of live American sport overnight, usually having to use the US networks' TX rather than world feeds or backhauls. We cover the commercial breaks with our own (sometimes having to swap for promos to avoid breaching the 12 minutes per hour rule) but also have to cover the sponsorship billboards that sometimes pop up in or out of breaks. We can't do anything about the many and various sponsored graphics that appear during play as you'd end up missing half the game, but they are blurred out in the edit for repeats.
What about split screen ads like this
Do you simply cover them up or is there nothing you can do about them?
BC
Blake Connolly
Founding member
There's not really anything like that on any of the things we take but I suspect we'd have to cover it, especially if the audio is coming from the commercial.
TI
Here's it's use in action.
You would have to mute the audio completely.
To link this back to the BBC thread, NBC are covering the Superbowl this season, and I think I've seen them do the split screen ads when they've cut to them on Redzone (before quickly cutting away to cover a different game).
I could only imagine the outrage on certain sites and in certain newspapers if the BBC accidentally aired an ad because of this practice. It seemed like they didn't have access to Fox's talkback on the NFL international games earlier in the year, when they (Fox) cut to a interview and then the BBC had to cut to their studio, but it took them 10 seconds to do so.
.
You would have to mute the audio completely.
To link this back to the BBC thread, NBC are covering the Superbowl this season, and I think I've seen them do the split screen ads when they've cut to them on Redzone (before quickly cutting away to cover a different game).
I could only imagine the outrage on certain sites and in certain newspapers if the BBC accidentally aired an ad because of this practice. It seemed like they didn't have access to Fox's talkback on the NFL international games earlier in the year, when they (Fox) cut to a interview and then the BBC had to cut to their studio, but it took them 10 seconds to do so.
TI
You'd think so, right? Here's the split screen interview I mentioned in the last post - 10 seconds is a little exaggeration but it still took some time to cut to something else. In theory that right side of the screen could have been taken up with an ad.
I'd have thought split screen ads would be put in by the broadcaster rather than on the host feed so the BBC (or whoever) would just get the live pictures.
You'd think so, right? Here's the split screen interview I mentioned in the last post - 10 seconds is a little exaggeration but it still took some time to cut to something else. In theory that right side of the screen could have been taken up with an ad.
HC
Which the BBC thought they would, hence the 'wait then hit the beautycam feed'.
Once it went to the NFL video referal unit, that would give Fox Sport time to throw in a commercial or two before returning to the game.
Anyway, isn't Picture in Picture (as that is what we are talking about in err.. a BBC One thread) a no-no for Ofcom during 'live' play?
You can go to it as the teams line up and do the tokenistic shake of hands, or the horses trot around at the starting gate just before a horse race, but not while the race/match/game/event is actually in play and taking place
Once it went to the NFL video referal unit, that would give Fox Sport time to throw in a commercial or two before returning to the game.
Anyway, isn't Picture in Picture (as that is what we are talking about in err.. a BBC One thread) a no-no for Ofcom during 'live' play?
You can go to it as the teams line up and do the tokenistic shake of hands, or the horses trot around at the starting gate just before a horse race, but not while the race/match/game/event is actually in play and taking place
GE
The PSBs tend to have well-funded compliance departments, so it's rare for anything to slip through the net, but smaller channels occasionally let commercial references get on air. The latest Ofcom broadcast bulletin has a slap on the wrist for a channel which didn't adequately cover up brands from a Pakistani channel.
As Blake says, Ofcom are generally OK with, say, logos attached to scoreboards on live sporting events (where it would be impractical to blur them live) and also ad breaks being more frequent and shorter than would otherwise be allowed (if following the event's break pattern, provided there aren't more than 12 mins per hour). They aren't happy though if you don't make an effort to edit it for any repeat showing. Some events are a bit more labour-intensive to edit than others!
thegeek
Founding member
Not sure where to post this and do not think it warrants its own thread. However I am wondering what the BBC and other UK broadcasters handle product placement, or promotional consideration in US and other international shows?
The PSBs tend to have well-funded compliance departments, so it's rare for anything to slip through the net, but smaller channels occasionally let commercial references get on air. The latest Ofcom broadcast bulletin has a slap on the wrist for a channel which didn't adequately cover up brands from a Pakistani channel.
As Blake says, Ofcom are generally OK with, say, logos attached to scoreboards on live sporting events (where it would be impractical to blur them live) and also ad breaks being more frequent and shorter than would otherwise be allowed (if following the event's break pattern, provided there aren't more than 12 mins per hour). They aren't happy though if you don't make an effort to edit it for any repeat showing. Some events are a bit more labour-intensive to edit than others!