Nanny Censors

Sky TV have published a detailed plan about how the company educate, propagandise, nudge, nag and bully viewers into submitting to right think and right behaviour when it comes climate change.

Dana Strong Group Chief Executive, Sky explains:

At Sky, we believe in a better world, and we're committed to reducing our impact on the environment by transforming our business to become net zero carbon by 2030.

As Europe's largest media and entertainment organisation, we also want to accelerate our industry's efforts to drive global progress towards net zero. However, it is now widely accepted that we must shift the behaviour of millions of people to deliver on our collective net zero goals.

That's why when we became the Principal Partner and Media Partner for COP26, we were clear we wanted to lead the way in new standards for the broadcast industry, and to invest in research to better inform our collective approach.

Building on the work of BAFTA's albert consortium, and Sky's own Planet Test, the next frontier for our industry will be thinking not just about how we can reduce our own carbon footprint, but how we can encourage our viewers to do the same.

We know that what we broadcast has the power to change how we as consumers feel and act. What we see on our screens can shock us, inspire us, educate us, and entertain us.

By partnering with the Behavioural Insights Team, we aimed to answer a simple question: how does the content we see on our screens influence the sustainable choices we make in our daily lives? In this study from BIT and Sky, we spoke to 3,500 people in all the six markets in Europe where Sky operates. We are hopeful the results of this study will be the beginning of a growing data set that will inspire broadcasters and content creators to work in partnership to encourage - and normalise - less carbon use by consumers.

For the first time, we have the empirical evidence to help broadcasters understand how change can be achieved if we work together. We believe that by feeling closer to our planet, to the problems that it faces, and to the solutions available to protect it, consumers will truly feel empowered to act. Now we must all commit and work to deliver this.

Offsite Comment: Big Media is turning into Big Brother

8th November 2021. See article from spiked-online.com by Brendan O'Neill

TV news used to be about informing people. Now it's about manipulating us. Now it's about socially engineering us to make us more green. Now its ambition is to be a powerful tool of persuasion in order to transform viewers from the polluting pests we currently are into the eco-switched-on citizens of the future. At least that's the conclusion one is forced to draw from the deeply chilling report commissioned by Sky and authored by the Behavioural Insights Team, which is part-owned by the Cabinet Office.

Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery is suing the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission for ludicrously rejecting its seasonal winter beer label depicting a naked cartoon claiming it's in bad taste.

The Freezin' Season Winter Ale features artwork designed by famed British illustrator Ralph Steadman of a stylized person standing naked by a campfire. The ABC Commission ruled that Flying Dog Brewery could not use the label under state laws that forbid undignified, immodest marketing.

In a federal lawsuit, the brewery accused the alcohol board of infringing on its constitutional right to free speech.

Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog, said the lawsuit is about defending the First Amendment against petty bureaucrats who want to censor whatever they personally dislike.

The label has been approved in every other state within its 24-state distribution network, according to Flying Dog Brewery.

The perennial Hindu whinger Rajan Zed is complaining about a UK beer label.

Kali Yuga East India Porter brewed by Nottingham based Bang the Elephant Brewing Co uses the Hindu goddess Kali's image on its East India Porter beer can.

Zed said that inappropriate usage of sacred Hindu deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees. He added:

Breweries should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, and ridiculing entire communities. It was deeply trivializing of immensely venerated Hindu goddess Kali to be portrayed on a beer label.

Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more ...BUT... faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers.

Thailand's The Standard news website has reported that it could soon be possible to be fined 500,000 baht (£11,400) just for posting a picture of a glass of beer or wine. And 60-80% of that fine could go into the pocket of the police or authority that brought the prosecution.

Up to now private individuals can be fined 50,000 baht (£1150) for promoting or advertising alcohol. Now a draft amendment from the authorities is proposing this is increased to half a million baht.

Commercial entities are liable to larger fines, currently at 500,000 baht, but the proposals would see this rise to a full one million baht.

There is also a proposal to stop a kind of loophole that allows big firms to promote their products by referring to soda rather than beer. Eg the beer maker Singha advertises its bottled water brand with a logo that is also used for its beer.

In future just using the soda/water logo could be illegal and subject to the alcohol fines by association.

The new proposals are currently on public consultation until 9th July, although it is a little offputting that ID cards are required from those wishing to comment.

Following a public consultation, regulations will come into force at the end of next year to introduce a 9pm watershed for advertisements of foods high in fat, salt and sugar ( HFSS ).

The new rules apply to TV and UK on-demand programmes, as well as restrictions on paid-for advertising of HFSS foods online as part of the government's ongoing commitment to tackle unhealthy eating habits at source.

The watershed will apply from 9pm to 5.30am, meaning HFSS adverts can only be shown during these times.

In order to keep the restrictions proportional, these new regulations will apply to food and drink products of most concern to childhood obesity and will ensure the healthiest in each category will be able to continue to advertise. This approach means foods such as honey, olive oil, avocados and marmite are excluded from the restrictions.

The restrictions will apply to all businesses with 250 or more employees that make and/or sell HFSS products, meaning small and medium businesses will be able to continue advertising. The government recognises these companies may be some of the hardest hit by the pandemic and rely on online media as the sole way to communicate with their customers.

Online restrictions will be limited to paid-for advertising, ensuring brands can continue to advertise within 'owned media' spaces online; such as a brand's own blog, website, app or social media page.

Analysis from September 2019 demonstrated that almost half (47.6%) of all food adverts shown over the month on ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky1 were for products high in fat, salt and sugar, rising to nearly 60% between 6pm and 9pm. Ofcom research suggests that children's viewing peaks in the hours after school, with the largest number of child viewers concentrated around family viewing time, between 6pm and 9pm.

The measures set out today form part of our legislative response to tackling obesity. The government is committed to working alongside industry and will issue guidance to help them prepare for this transition.

Offsite Comment: The advertising industry is not impressed

25th June 2021. See article from adweek.com

Ad Industry Say UK Government HFSS Ban Is Set to Fail

The IAB, IPA, AA and ISBA all claim a ban will be ineffective in reversing childhood obesity rates