Guidelines

14.4.1

Product placement is the inclusion of, or a reference to, a product or service in return for payment or any consideration in kind.  The taking of product placement for licence fee funded services is prohibited under the terms of the BBC Agreement. 

The BBC must not commission, produce or co-produce output for its licence fee funded services which contains product placement.  All programmes made by the BBC or an independent producer for broadcast on BBC licence fee funded services must be free of product placement.

14.4.2

The broadcasting of any programme acquired from a third party, such as an American drama series, which contains product placement but does not require signalling, must be in accordance with the detailed BBC Guidance on Product Placement, the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and Government Regulations on Product Placement.

BBC licence fee funded services do not broadcast content which requires the signalling of product placement.  If there is any proposition, in any circumstances, to carry output which requires signalling for product placement on licence fee funded services, it must be considered in advance by the relevant divisional director and the Director Editorial Policy and Standards in the first instance, who will refer the proposition to the Director-General for approval.

(See Guidance: Product Placement)

14.4.3

BBC commercial television channels may, in some circumstances, take appropriate product placement providing it does not undermine the editorial integrity of the programme or the channel.  Any product placement on BBC commercial channels must be in accordance with the Guidelines for BBC Commercial Services on Editorial Integrity and Independence from External Interests, and, where applicable, the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and Government Regulations on product placement.