Premium rate phone-in saga: ITV Play Channel Axed

Wonder if this is connected to the poster on Digital Spy who was complaining because the programme and therefore the choosing of the box at the end are pre-recorded.... there was no chance of winning one of the 3 prizes.

Total nonsense of course because it's still a random draw, just one that happened a while ago

Well, it doesn't matter what prize is drawn in a lot of ways - no-one would rap them over the knuckles for saying "the winner will get a prize between £500 and £5000" and then Noel plucking a figure out of the air (provided he picked the higher number often enough to justify its' inclusion). And the winner is keyed on live as a caption - the prerecorded Noel just says "And well done to You (points at camera, caption comes up)".

Now, that's not to say it all has to be fair and above board - many of the Richard'n'Judy type scandals COULD apply, but "Digital Spy Person Talks Rubbish" is hardly a surprise.

Indeed, but if someone on DigiSpy thinks it you can garauntee that there's a member of the public or 2 who feel likewise

Yeah well I wrote that having not checked last night's Ftn output and assuming it was the same thing again tonight as it was previously. My bad.

According to Ftn's website, they're showing Big Game TV according to the big "button" on the homepage, but there's no sign of it in the schedule and that service has taken a break anyway. Still at least an opportunity to show other "highlights" (if you're into poker and world travel) between 12am and 3am.

Should be interesting to see if Ftn continues to rebroadcast participation TV, as that's now four services in the last year they've got through, and only one of those four is still going, propping up the Five channels overnight.

Probably some moron who rang in during the repeat.


Maybe I'm far too trustworthy, but I'd have thought that if there was a problem with DOND it would of come to light by now - after all Endemol did their own audits at the time when the stuff about Brainteaser came out.


I think it's got to the point where it's just the press scraping the barrel now trying to find anything and everything to hold TV phone-ins to account - and ensure the focus doesn't switch to their own premium rate money spinners!

Well they can't really dig into the complaints about the pre recorded stuff as apparently once the new series starts (After the summer break) the box will be opened before the first break, giving viewers the prize value up for grabs before they can ring in to win it.

Here we go from The Express website:

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THE phone-in competition on hit show Deal Or No Deal faces investigation and possible suspension.

Icstis, the body that regulates premium-rate competitions on television, will formally request “more information” from Channel 4 next week about how the phone-in is run.

“We do need to get to the bottom of this,” said an Icstis spokesman. “Depending on the information we get from the channel next week, we could launch a full, formal investigation. We have the power to suspend the competition altogether.

“We have received a handful of complaints about the competition, asking whether it is fair and asking ‘whether our entries count? There is no specific charge but various issues need to be cleared up.”

Asked what advice he had for viewers who were considering entering the competition, he said: “I can’t tell you how to spend your pound but if you are in any doubt, stay away from it.”

The prize for the phone-in competition is determined by a member of the audience who chooses between three boxes, one containing £1,000, another £2,000 and a third with £15,000.

Viewers have complained that although they are encouraged to compete for a possible big prize, because the show has been recorded in advance, the producers already know which box has been chosen.

Last night one viewer said: “People ­phoning in are spending their pound thinking they’ve a chance at the big prize when they haven’t got one.”

An Icstis spokesman said: “How can the producers say you can win three different amounts, if they already know which box has been selected? Obviously if only the minor prize is remaining, you can’t advertise the ­bigger prize. That’s misleading.

“We also need to know how long a contestant remains in the entry pool and whether the winner’s name is determined while the show is on or before it goes out.”

As Deal Or No Deal is recorded “several weeks” before transmission, it is feared the winner may already have been chosen before the show goes out.

This would mean that it would be impossible to win the phone-in competition on the day you enter. There is only two minutes between the ­closure of the phone lines and the sending of the winner’s name to Channel 4 by the phone company, iTouch.

Channel 4 claims this leaves enough time for the phone company to process all the hundreds of phone entries, as well as those who have entered free via their website.

The winner’s name is then apparently rung through to the channel which shows it “live”.

“It’s not beyond the wit of man to do that,” said a C4 spokesman. “Three staff are on hand at Channel 4 presentation to type in the name of the winner.”

The phone company, iTouch, refused to comment directly about the competition.

Icstis is also concerned about so-called “shortlisting” in phone-in competitions, such as exists in Deal Or No Deal and which caused the recent controversy at GMTV.

Here, viewers are encouraged to enter and spend a pound even though their name may not even make the shortlist pool from which the computer finally chooses the winner.

C4 describes those who make the shortlist as “successful” and does warn viewers after they call that they may be unsuccessful.

The Deal Or No Deal investigations come after an ever-growing list of scandals involving premium rate television competitions on shows such as Blue Peter. The most damaging allegations so far focused on GMTV, where potential winners for the breakfast show’s competitions were shortlisted before phone lines closed, so some callers never stood a chance of winning.

The allegations were made by the BBC’s Panorama programme, which estimated people spend £45,000 a day calling in to GMTV.

Icstis believes many of the problems in the industry stem from the slim profit margins for the phone companies.
Channel 4 say they have “confidence” in the competition, and they deny they are being “investigated” by the regulator. The show is also audited daily by a “third party lawyer”.

Noel Edmonds was unavailable for comment but his spokesman said: “This is entirely to do with the production company and is nothing really to do with Noel.”

What do YOU think? Should TV phone competitions be banned? Comment NOW on Have Your Say.
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No - interactive competitions - unless the 'phone-ins are on 25p+ a minute 'phone lines.

But is it fair that some people know that the prize today is the small prize - while others have no way of knowing?

So it's a nothing complaint - people querying things with ICSTIS, which is inevitable considering recent events.


The prize complaint is a none starter IMO - it's always very clearer one of the three prizes will be won, and having the box selected randomly on air or on the show makes very little difference to the eventual winner.

And I don't see how any regulator could turn around after it being on air 18 months and now say it's wrong!


IMO the DOND competition is one of the best around IMO - no stupid qualifying question and the viewers game is in a similar format to the main game, not just an A, B or C question.


Same goes for these "pre-selection" methods which ICSTIS are now complaining about. Brainteaser have been doing it at least five years and the quiz channels and programmes for a good couple of years - and it's not as if the issue has never been raised.

If ICSTIS is regulating these things, they should have been from the beginning - not doing nothing for a few years then suddenly raising questions.


Of all the organisations involved in this scandal, ICSTIS have as many questions to answer as any of them!

Yes, it doesn't change the outcome of the competition just because someone knows.... and they aren't recording 3 endings and then choosing one either. The only people who do know can't enter the competition.

The only slight issue I can think of is whether the people who've phoned in for, say, £500, £1000 or £2000 would be less likely to phone in if they knew for definate that it was only £500

Yeah, straight fishing expedition. Not to say they won't find something, but the story would be when they do, not just that it's being looked into. Typical Express-quality journalism.