EA given 'undue prominence' in Sky football broadcasts
Ofcom raps UK TV station following 14 uses of EA logo in one match
UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom has upheld viewer complaints concerning the use of EA branding on Sky Sports.
Ofcom deemed that Sky Sports 2's broadcast of a September 2010 match between Manchester United and Everton broke regulations concerning giving "undue prominence" to brands.
Reports MediaWeek, the FIFA publisher's logo appeared 14 times throughout the match and post-game analysis, prompting viewer complaints that it was "blatant", "unnecessary and "irrelevant."
While Sky had claimed that "no specific product or service was mentioned" and that EA was an "official sports technology partner," under which criteria the branding would be allowed, Ofcom deemed that the publisher was not, in fact, supplying any technology of note to the broadcaster.
Sky Sports was thus found to be in breach of Rule 10.3 of the Broadcast Code, which dictates promotion of products and services.
Following the judgement, Sky Sports acknowledged that "on this occasion, the application of the EA on-screen credit should have been subject to greater editorial judgement given the high-scoring nature of this particular game, which meant the credit was displayed on a higher than normal number of occasions".
No further action will be taken against Sky for the transgression.