Ofcom Update: Ofcom fines Channel 5 for quiz show breaches

Ofcom has today fined Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd £300,000 for breaches of the Broadcasting Code in the transmission of the quiz programme, Brainteaser on Five. This is the largest financial penalty imposed on a public service broadcaster by Ofcom.

 

Ofcom has also directed Channel 5 to broadcast a summary of Ofcom’s finding on two separate occasions.

 

Ofcom has found Five in breach of Rule 2.11 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (“Competitions should be conducted fairly…”) for faking winners and misleading its audience on five separate occasions in its programme Brainteaser during 2007.

 

Ofcom also found that 11 further similar or identical instances of unfair competitions in Brainteaser and its spin-off programme Memory Bank also broadcast on Five.

 

The full Adjudication is available at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/ocsc_adjud/channel5.pdf

 

This is one of a number of current Ofcom investigations into individual programmes in the area of Call TV. These are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis and several of them will be concluded over the summer.

 

Separately, the inquiry led by Richard Ayre into the use of premium rate telephone services in television programmes, is ongoing. The findings of the inquiry will also be published this summer.

 

Commenting on the investigation, Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Executive, said:

 

“We take these issues extremely seriously and will not hesitate to protect viewers’ interests. Every broadcaster needs to take very careful note of this decision.”

 

 

...........................................................................

 

Take our website feedback survey at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/aboutsite/website/survey

 

Please do not respond to this email. To remove yourself from this update list, use the online forms: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/subscribe/select_list.htm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

******************************************************************************************************************
Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

For further details and to register for automatic updates from Ofcom on key publications and other developments, please visit www.ofcom.org.uk

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the originator of the message. This footer also confirms that this email message has been scanned for the presence of computer viruses.

Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifies and with authority, states them to be the views of Ofcom.
******************************************************************************************************************