Ofcom slaps Channel 5 for loud PlayStation ads
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With talk of a next-gen console, revamps to PSN and a spanking new handheld on the way, Sony has been making a lot of noise lately. Not quite in the same way its advertising campaign for PS3 has, though.
UK broadcaster Channel 5 has been slapped on the wrist by watchdog Ofcom after 17 viewers complained that PlayStation 3 adverts bookending movie ad breaks were excessively noisy.
According to the industry regulator, the station broke rules by running ads that are louder than than the programmes themselves. Rule 4.7 of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising - aka BCAP - states that “the maximum subjective loudness of advertisements must be consistent and in line with the maximum loudness of programmes and junction material.”
Channel 5 tried to get itself off the hook by claiming a variety of technicalities - loudness subjectivity, peak measurements across all programmes, the use of the word 'advertisements' rather than 'advertisement' in the Code - all of which you can read in Ofcom's ruling on the matter (PDF).
After being notified of the over-loud ads by Ofcom on 15 March, Channel 5 reprocessed the ads' audio to reduce their volume. Unfortunately, as four further complaints show, it wasn't entirely successful.
Channel 5 said such volume assessments are left to a third-party, which failed to test the loudness because of human error. It promised to fix the problem and stop it from continuing. ®
COMMENTS
Not a new issue.
Many channels have upped the volume during ad breaks for some years now. I complained when I found I was unable to watch late night tv without members of my household being disturbed by the louder ad breaks. At the time OFCOM rejected the issue saying the ads fell within parameters that they work to.
What happens now is that ad breaks are routinely muted... which means they don't get heard at all so counter productive by the industry. Given the poor soundproofing in many UK homes broadcasters should be closely monitored for breaches of this type. The advertising industry really does need reigning in.
Really?
The ads aren't allowed to be louder than the programme? Seems to me that this rule is routinely broken.
Dear Ofcom,
In that case I recommend you change your parameters.
Yours sincerely,
Your employer.

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