The Regulation of UK TV Product Placement and the Passive Influence of the BBC

Paid-for product placement has only been permitted on UK commercial television since 2011, but the story of UK TV product placement and its emergent regulatory framework is a long one with some odd plot twists. Perhaps the oddest is the role of the UK’s state-owned broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The BBC carries no paid-for advertising in any form, but its dominance in the UK’s cultural industries has, arguably, had a deep effect on the policy making around product placement. It is necessary, therefore, to understand something of the broader historical context of the UK media market if the current regulatory system and the complex interaction of its legal and extra-legal regulations is to be understood. In this chapter we will outline the unique regulatory context and historical evolution of TV product placement practice in the UK before addressing the current regulatory framework and its implications.