In the first of a regular look at what the right honourable
member for Leigh is up to - not that this blog will solely deal with the DCMS,
but we will keep a close eye on Whitehall - we find the Secretary of State in
combative mood.
In the Media Week story Burnham spurns product placement, speaking
at a Department for Culture Media and Sport Culture Convergence Think Tank
seminar Burnham said that product placement in TV shows would "contaminate our
programmes".
"There are some lines that we should not cross - one of
which is that you can buy the space between the programmes on commercial
channels, but not the space within them," he argued.
It's an interesting point of view, but not one that seems to
have gone down with well with the Media Week readers.
"The unintended consequence is to give a boost to Web shows,
where product integration is not regulated and well-established," comments Colin
Donald
"The more Andy Burnham uses this type of terminology the
less credence he will have," writes Frank Zazza.
I appreciate his drive for purity and credibility, ITV for
one could do with a bit of shine for its recently sullied reputation, but has
Mr Burnham really taken into consideration the pressure commercial broadcasters
are under? Is there not a middle ground where regulated product placement might
allow commercial operators to invest more in and, therefore, improve their output without ‘contaminating' Corrie et al?
We are, as it happens, in the process of trying to tempt the
Mr Burnham onto Media Week TV, at the moment. We very much hope he'll take us up
on our offer so we can delve further into the media strategy of the DCMS.
