ASA Welcomes Ofcom consultation

15 October 2004

The consultation contains proposals by Ofcom to contract out the regulation of broadcast advertising to an industry co-regulator. Broadcast advertising is currently regulated by the statutory ITC and Radio Authority which will cease to exist when Ofcom takes over at the end of this year.

The proposals cover all aspects of broadcast advertising on TV and radio including spot advertising, teleshopping and sponsorship credits. The proposed system would provide a 'one stop shop' for advertising complaints, operating under the banner of the ASA. Currently, the ASA supervises the self-regulatory system for non-broadcast advertising only.

Responding to the consultation's launch, the ASA Chairman, Lord Borrie QC, said that the proposals offered clear benefits for the public: "At present, consumers must negotiate a regulatory maze just to submit a complaint about misleading or offensive advertising. Complaints about TV ads go to one regulator, radio ads another and cinema ads a third. And as boundaries between technologies blur, confusion about 'who does what' will only increase. Ofcom's proposals provide a clear and straightforward solution to this regulatory complexity: a one stop shop for all advertising complaints." Click here for Ofcom's website