The Ofcom decision on high salt, sugar and fatty food advertising to children has been announced. See the Ofcom press release for more detail. It will have a severe impact on the number and quality of children’s programmes made in the UK. Taking an initially estimated £39m out of the revenues of commercial broadcasters has huge implications for commissioning and simply confirms ITV’s decision to get out of kids’ production.
Now the Campaign enters a new phase.
Producers’ Alliance Pact have accepeted the ruling, but like Save Kids’ TV they want to know where future funding to assure the continuance of quality kids’ content is going to come from.
Their statement looks to the future: “Pact calls on Ofcom to ensure the UK’s commercial terrestrial broadcasters continue to maintain their investment in original UK children’s programmes. If this does not happen many children’s producers in the UK will face an uncertain future.”
But the regulators’ hands are frequently tied by their Government remit. It remains to be seen how firm they’ll be in the face of the commercial realities.
The time has come for the Save Kids’ TV Campaign to alert the British public to what we’ll lose as advertising funding crumbles. Our children’s cultural entitlement is at stake. They deserve great programmes made about their lives, interests and concerns – and made here in the UK. Of course we want our kids to watch a wide mix of programming from all parts of the world – but the irony is that programmes from their own culture may soon become a thing of the past.
The new advertising regulation targets kids’ diets – but it’s time we started to care about their media diet too.
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As we move into a phase of campaigning in which Save Kids’ TV and allied organisations will be asking the regulators and politicians how they intend protecting UK kids’ rights to quality content - your support will be vital.
