Warner Bros. Discovery has been fined by the Norwegian Media Authority for repeated violations of sponsorship rules

In the fall of 2023, the Norwegian Media Authority revealed several violations of the rules regarding how long sponsor identification can last on TVNorge. The violations were found in the programs “The King Commands,” “16 Weeks of Hell” and “Jaget.” In addition, the sponsor ID for the movie “Wonka” had additional illegal information.

Now Warner Bros is collecting a discovery fee of NOK 300,000 for violations. The Norwegian Media Authority confirms, among other things, that the company has violated the same rule several times in recent years. This previously resulted in a warning.

– The main purpose of identifying a sponsor is to communicate that the program is sponsored, so that viewers can be more vigilant when engaging with editorial content. There are clear rules about how long sponsors can be identified in programs and what kind of additional information can appear on sponsor posters, says Han Nystad Sekkelstein, director of the legal and regulatory department at the Norwegian Media Authority, in a press release.

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Broadcasting law allows each individual sponsor to be identified for ten seconds for each full hour that the program continues. In the aforementioned programs, the shepherds were identified for 20 seconds within one hour.

It is not permissible to place logos or mention the characteristics of products or services on the sponsor’s identity. In the case of Wonka, the Norwegian Media Authority reacts to phrases such as “this year's Christmas movie” and “in the cinema on December 8th.”

Discovery must have informed the Norwegian Media Authority that the violations of regulations were not intentional. They must immediately implement measures and correct errors.

– For the benefit of viewers, it is important to follow the rules regarding sponsor identification. These are rules Discovery is well aware of, and they've received warnings for breaking them in the past. The Norwegian Media Authority therefore judged that fees were the most appropriate form of sanctions this time, says Sekkelsten.

The article was first published by campaign.com.