Programme Sponsorship
A form of commercial arrangement where a third party pays to be associated with a programme. Subject to Ofcom rules: must be transparent, sponsor must not influence editorial content, and certain programmes cannot be sponsored.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Broadcast sponsorship is governed by Section 9 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code. Historically the sponsorship of individual programmes was the norm and the sponsorship of entire television channels was prohibited; following a 2006 Ofcom consultation, that prohibition on channel sponsorship was lifted, but only on the basis that the same underlying principle applied to programme sponsorship — transparency to the audience and no undue prominence for the sponsor — would apply equally to channel sponsorship arrangements.
As a result of that consultation, Ofcom amended the sponsorship rules in the Code to make clear they cover both channel and programme sponsorship arrangements, and it published guidance on how broadcasters should avoid sponsor credits creating undue prominence and on keeping sponsor credits separate from other programme output.
The regulatory concern that runs through the sponsorship rules is that a sponsor's payment must not translate into influence over editorial content or into content that functions as disguised advertising: sponsorship credits identify the commercial relationship to the audience, but the programme's editorial independence from the sponsor must be maintained.
Example
A bank that pays to have its name and logo shown before and after a weather bulletin, without influencing the bulletin's content, is exercising programme sponsorship under Ofcom's rules.
Related terms
Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.