The European Parliament has approved a package of broadcasting reforms that include scheduling commercials, cross-border transmissions, junk food bans and quotas for foreign programming. Particularly pleasing to production companies is the easing of restrictions on product placement in TV programmes.
Product placement will be allowed in movies, TV series, light entertainment and sports programmes but not in news, documentaries and children’s programming. If a show contains product placement, it must be clearly identified at the beginning and end of the programme.
This new directive revises the legislation put in place in 1997 and covers all audiovisual media services, from traditional TV broadcasts to on-demand services. The new rules will now be sent to the 27 EU member countries. They will have until the end of 2009 to implement them.
Source: World Screen
