Broadcasting Act 1981

9 Code for advertisements. U.K.

(1) It shall be the duty of the Authority—

(a) [F1 after consultation with the Cable Authority] to draw up, and from time to time review, a code governing standards and practice in advertising and prescribing the advertisements and methods of advertising to be prohibited, or prohibited in particular circumstances; and

(b) to secure that the provisions of the code are complied with as regards the advertisements included in the programmes broadcast by the Authority.

(2) The Authority may, in the discharge of their general responsibility for advertisements and methods of advertising, impose requirements as to advertisements and methods of advertising which go beyond the requirements imposed by the code under this section.

(3) The methods of control exercisable by the Authority for the purpose of securing that the provisions of the code under this section are complied with, and for the purpose of securing compliance with requirements imposed under subsection (2) which go beyond the requirements of the code, shall include a power to give directions to a programme contractor with respect to the classes and descriptions of advertisements and methods of advertising to be excluded, or to be excluded in particular circumstances, or with respect to the exclusion of a particular advertisement, or its exclusion in particular circumstances.

(4) The Authority may give directions to a programme contractor with respect to the times when advertisements are to be allowed.

(5) Directions under this section may be, to any degree, either general or specific and qualified or unqualified; and directions under subsection (4) may, in particular, relate to—

(a) the greatest amount of time to be given to advertisements in any hour or other period,

(b) the minimum interval which must elapse between any two periods given over to advertisements and the number of such periods to be allowed in any programme or item in a programme or in any hour or day,

(c) the exclusion of advertisements from a specified broadcast,

and may make different provision for different parts of the day, different days of the week, different types of programmes or for other differing circumstances.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words inserted by Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984 (c. 46, SIF 96), Sch. 5 para. 40(2)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 2(2)(a)(b), 3(1)(a)(b)(3)(4)(7), 4, 5, 8, 9, 14(1), 15, 16(1), 42, 61, 62 extended (prosp.) by Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984 (c. 46, SIF 96), ss. 44(1), 51(1), 59(4), Sch. 4

C2 S. 9 modified by Broadcasting Act 1990 (c. 42, SIF 96), s. 129, Sch. 11 Pt. II paras. 1(3)(b)(4)(7), Pt. IV para. 1(3)(b)(4)(6)(7)

C3 S. 9(2)(3) applied by Broadcasting Act 1990 (c. 42, SIF 96), s. 129, Sch. 11 Pt. II para. 7(7)(c)