ITV rapped for 'promoting' video games

ITV has been censured by Ofcom for featuring overly promotional reviews of new video games and gadgets in children's programme Cool Stuff Collective.

The regulator received complaints about various episodes of the entertainment magazine show aired on ITV1 and digital channel CITV in February, March and April.

Aimed at children aged between seven and 12, Cool Stuff Collective features presenter Sy Thomas and his sidekick, a man dressed in a monkey costume called Monkey, looking at new toys, gadgets, video games, music and films.

One complainant said that an episode aired on February 20 featuring Nintendo Wii game Chicken Blaster was "fundamentally just a 25 minute advert for a number of different child-orientated consumer products".

Discussing an episode aired on March 12 and featuring Xbox Kinect game Yoostar 2: In the Movies, another viewer said: "The presenter displayed commercial products - e.g. computer games and an audio docking station in a way which appeared to amount to product placement on children's television."

Ofcom also assessed episodes of Cool Stuff Collective which featured Sy and Monkey talking in glowing terms about Nintendo 3DS game Pilot Wings, the Huawei E5 Wireless Modem and various other products.

In February, the media watchdog relaxed the rules governing product placement on commercial television, but that does not extend to programmes aimed at children, where placement is completely prohibited.

After Ofcom asked ITV whether any money had been received for including the products in Cool Stuff Collective, the broadcaster provided "extensive email correspondence" proving that no payment had been requested or offered.

ITV accepted that it was a "difficult editorial distinction" between expressing positivity about a product, and using "intrinsically promotional language". But the broadcaster claimed that the approach of Sy and Monkey was justified in the context of the programme's style in promoting "cool stuff" for children.

ITV pointed out that an item in the show, called Class Room Committee, featured children testing out various products and giving both positive and negative comments.

The company attempted to argue that Cool Stuff Collective does not need to include the same degree of critical assessment as a "more serious consumer review programme aimed at adults". It also stated that the programme "avoids any overt suggestion that viewers should purchase particular products".

However, Ofcom ruled that Cool Stuff Collective lacked sufficient critical assessment or comparison of the products it was reviewing, meaning the episodes became overly promotional.

"We note there were frequent and very positive comments about the products being featured. Reviews of products featured numerous references to the products' positive attributes, benefits and features," said the regulator.

"In our view the cumulative effect of the frequent, detailed and continuously positive comments about the products in the reviews, as set out above, was promotional.

"Further, those reviews which included overt encouragements to consider purchasing products, as set out above, also had a promotional effect."