Head in the Sand

Why did Andy Burnham, Culture Secretary at DCMS feel it necessary to declare to the cross-industry Convergence Think Tank that the UK wasn't ready for product placement on our TV screens. What an earth has he been watching on the telly all of these years? Perhaps the Baby Channel?

Leaving aside that Burnham has made up his mind before the consultation process had even had a chance to run its course (well, that's politics for you), he's exhibiting the 'head in the sand' mentality that sadly this Government is rapidly getting a reputation for.

If Burnham had stopped to look at the evidence of product placement on British TV or had taken a peek at the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2007/65/EC he may have reached a very different conclusion. See  http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/index_en.htm

The point is that we've had product placement on our telly screens in the UK for the last 60 years because terrestrial broadcasters have been importing US programmes that have product placement in them! 

In addition, virtually all movies watched on TV have some form of product placement to one degree or other - for example, James Bond movies that perhaps have taken product placement to new levels.

Now I don't happen to subscribe to the view that TV programmes should turn themselves into billboards but that said I've never come across anyone in our industry who wants that to happen either. It's a question of editorial balance.

So what's the alternative? Well, for one thing product placement is here to stay whether Burham likes it or not. Otherwise our TV screens will be blank.

On a broader perspective, programme makers in the UK are struggling with production budgets in order to get their programmes made. So what's wrong in exploring opportunities for product placement where this is managed on a fair and reasonable basis and within certain agreed industry parameters?

 All that will happen is that the really good and creative producers will take their business elsewhere where there's a more undertstanding broadcast regime - and will make their programmes outside of the UK  - and sell these same programmes to the broadcasters back in the UK!

The net effect is that more talent will follow the money out of the UK and as the consumer, we'll be served more imported product rather than home grown product.

Burnham therefore could at a single stroke cause irreparable damage to our thriving independent sector. 

And that surely can't be in the interests of viewers or the DCMS.