Size does matter

08 September 2005

Superimposed text can be an irritation to advertisers because it rarely forms a part of what they most want to say.  And it can irritate viewers because it interferes with the exciting bits of the commercial and is sometimes hard to read.  But it can complement a claim to explain important qualifications and it might be required for legal or regulatory purposes.  Too small and the consumer protection objective is defeated.  So, what is the minimum size?  The short answer is, generally, a standard height of 16 television lines*.  But that ignores an interesting examination of the then and the now.

Back then, advertisements were made in traditional 4:3 aspect ratio and the required standard text height was 14 television lines.  That was a time when analogue transmissions and 4:3 television sets were the overwhelming norm.  Now most advertisements are made in widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.  So what’s the problem?  Well, when widescreen advertisements are transmitted on analogue TV or by non-widescreen digital channels, they appear vertically ‘squeezed’ when viewed on 4:3 sets.  A text height of 14 television lines will appear smaller to the viewer and as a result the advertisement will breach BCAP Television Code rule 5.4.2 (a), which states “Text in advertisements must be legible and must comply with BCAP Guidance on Text and Subtitling in Television Advertisements.”
A significant number of viewers will see a squeezed image until widescreen sets predominate and until second and third sets in the home are ‘switched-over’ to digital.  So, BCAP has redrafted the Guidance to reflect most advertisements are now made in widescreen and 16 lines are needed.  Text height in non-widescreen advertisements may still be 14 television lines.  For all guidance on on-screen text, please click here.
 
* TV pictures are made up of 625 lines.  Research has identified 16 as the minimum that will be legible in most circumstances.