At a glance
- Label product placement
- No direct exhortation to buy
- Prohibited in news and children’s programmes
Product placement is the labelled inclusion of products or brands in programmes in return for payment. It is allowed under conditions set by the Interstate Media Treaty, which implements the AVMS Directive and applies to broadcasting, on-demand services and, with adjustments, video-sharing content. Media authorities supervise and can impose fines; the UWG applies in parallel.
Conditions
Editorial independence remains, no direct exhortation to purchase, no undue prominence, labelling at the beginning, the end and after breaks. Prohibited in news, current affairs, consumer affairs, religious and children’s programmes; no placement of tobacco, e-cigarettes or prescription medicines.
Sponsorship
The sponsor must be named, must not influence content and must not directly exhort purchases.
Case examples
Placement must be labelled at the beginning and end of the video; according to the media authorities the platform label alone is not enough.
Product placement is prohibited in children’s programmes, news and current-affairs programmes under the Interstate Media Treaty.
A character holds a can into the camera for minutes. Undue prominence turns placement into prohibited surreptitious advertising.
Podcasts and creators
Depending on classification, broadcasting or online media rules apply. Ad spots and placements should be clearly announced and platform labelling tools used.
