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The cast of Geordie Shore series 9
The cast of Geordie Shore series 9. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
The cast of Geordie Shore series 9. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

MTV rapped for airing alcohol ads during Geordie Shore

This article is more than 8 years old

ASA finds eight episodes of reality TV show broadcast on MTV last December broke strict rules on alcohol advertising

MTV is the latest broadcaster to be caught running alcohol ads during shows likely to appeal to children, after the UK watchdog uncovered more than 20 instances in episodes of Geordie Shore.

The Advertising Standards Authority found that eight episodes of the reality TV show broadcast on MTV last December broke strict rules on alcohol advertising.

Under the UK advertising code, ads are banned from appearing in or around programmes targeted at or likely to appeal to under-18s.

MTV challenged the ASA arguing that Geordie Shore is a reality show with “extreme content” and that “no attempt has ever been made” to make the programme appeal to under-18s.

MTV said that the reality show, now in its 10th series, is “firmly recognised” as an adult show that airs from the 9pm watershed.

“Alcohol ads were not scheduled before 9pm and there was a content warning before the start of Geordie Shore and after each break that advised that the show was unsuitable for children,” said MTV.

MTV added that it could not be held accountable for the age of viewers post the 9pm watershed.

The broadcaster said that its analysis showed that just 5.5% of ad breaks in Geordie Shore contained alcohol ads, compared to 21% of breaks in the 9pm-to-1am slot across TV as a whole.

The ASA disagreed with MTV’s view arguing that “a reality show featuring cast members in their late teens and early twenties could appeal to under-18s, particularly when broadcast in the 9pm-to-9.59pm time slot”.

According to Ofcom’s rules alcohol ads are not allowed to be shown in programmes that attract an audience of 10-to-15-year-olds that is 20% or more above the norm, referred to as an index of 120 or more.

The ASA said that an analysis of Geordie Shore programming in December last year found 22 alcohol ads in eight programmes where the audience index broke 120, meaning too many children were watching.

The ASA rapped MTV for breaking the advertising code and told the broadcaster to use the “best available” data to make decisions on when to block alcohol ads.

“We considered that action should have been taken to restrict alcohol ads in the programmes when recent data indicated they were likely to appeal particularly to under-18s,” said the ASA.

The ASA said that its action against MTV is part of a “monitoring and enforcement exercise” across the TV industry, using data from the last quarter of 2014, following up on a crackdown in 2013.

In September 2013, Comedy Central was rapped for running alcohol ads in almost 80 episodes of Friends when a significant proportion of the audience was under 18.

In July 2013, Channel 4 was rapped for running alcohol ads during shows likely to appeal to children, including hit US comedy import The Big Bang Theory.

In September 2013, the UK watchdog uncovered instances of alcohol ads inappropriately running in almost 40 episodes of ITV2’s You’ve Been Framed.

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