The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Notice of Inquiry (NOI) last week asking the American public to comment on the prevalence of product placement and product integration on broadcast television. The Commission's action signals the increasing need for stricter guidelines governing the use of stealth advertising within programs.
From the outset, Screen Actors Guild led the charge for proper public disclosure, and over the past three years in an effort to raise awareness of this issue, SAG President Alan Rosenberg and executive staff have been meeting one-on-one with FCC Commissioners and Members of Congress to underscore the impact of product integration on SAG actors and the viewing public.
The use of product placement and product integration (i.e. the subtle integration of a product into a plot or storyline) has become so insidious and prevalent that is often undetectable even to the most discerning viewer. While this is an extremely troubling development for the viewing public, it is untenable for the actor required to deliver lines which extol the virtues of specific products or services. Actors are too often obligated to advertise a particular product without consent or payment for doing these pitches within television programs.
Alan Rosenberg stated, "We are pleased that the FCC is shining a bright light on this practice. Actors are routinely asked at the last minute to perform lines endorsing a product. Viewers should be made aware of this practice so they know that storylines have been created to intentionally put products and services in a positive light."
The FCC's Sponsorship Identification Rules, in place since 1937, were originally designed to acknowledge the public's right to know when they are being sold a product. The American public is entitled to know who is trying to persuade them.
Screen Actors Guild has proposed a number of solutions including the visual and audio disclosure of product integration at the beginning of each program, strict limitation on product integration in children's programming and input from writers and actors as to how a product or brand is to be integrated into content through the collective bargaining process.
While we acknowledge the desire of some to require "real-time" disclosure at the time of product placement or integration within a program, we fear such "real-time" disclosure may disrupt the viewing experience and distract from actors' performances. We urge the Commission to enact a meaningful rule requiring the disclosure of advertisers prior to and after a program, alerting the viewing audience of advertisements within the program.
As part of its ongoing efforts to protect members' rights, to alert the public and to preserve the integrity of television programming, Screen Actors Guild intends to file comments with the FCC in this proceeding and to continue to meet with policy makers on this important issue.
From the outset, Screen Actors Guild led the charge for proper public disclosure, and over the past three years in an effort to raise awareness of this issue, SAG President Alan Rosenberg and executive staff have been meeting one-on-one with FCC Commissioners and Members of Congress to underscore the impact of product integration on SAG actors and the viewing public.
The use of product placement and product integration (i.e. the subtle integration of a product into a plot or storyline) has become so insidious and prevalent that is often undetectable even to the most discerning viewer. While this is an extremely troubling development for the viewing public, it is untenable for the actor required to deliver lines which extol the virtues of specific products or services. Actors are too often obligated to advertise a particular product without consent or payment for doing these pitches within television programs.
Alan Rosenberg stated, "We are pleased that the FCC is shining a bright light on this practice. Actors are routinely asked at the last minute to perform lines endorsing a product. Viewers should be made aware of this practice so they know that storylines have been created to intentionally put products and services in a positive light."
The FCC's Sponsorship Identification Rules, in place since 1937, were originally designed to acknowledge the public's right to know when they are being sold a product. The American public is entitled to know who is trying to persuade them.
Screen Actors Guild has proposed a number of solutions including the visual and audio disclosure of product integration at the beginning of each program, strict limitation on product integration in children's programming and input from writers and actors as to how a product or brand is to be integrated into content through the collective bargaining process.
While we acknowledge the desire of some to require "real-time" disclosure at the time of product placement or integration within a program, we fear such "real-time" disclosure may disrupt the viewing experience and distract from actors' performances. We urge the Commission to enact a meaningful rule requiring the disclosure of advertisers prior to and after a program, alerting the viewing audience of advertisements within the program.
As part of its ongoing efforts to protect members' rights, to alert the public and to preserve the integrity of television programming, Screen Actors Guild intends to file comments with the FCC in this proceeding and to continue to meet with policy makers on this important issue.
