GMTV Fined £2million - 28th Sep 2007 12:35am
Originally Posted by Digital Spy
Ofcom has fined GMTV £2 million for misconduct in its premium rate phone competitions.
This follows the £250,000 fine premium rate regulator ICSTIS levied on GMTV's phone service provider Opera earlier this week.
Ofcom's fine is the largest financial penalty to be imposed against a broadcaster to date.
The regulator said that the financial penalty would have been higher had GMTV not put in place an extensive programme of "reparations and remedies" including refunding viewers, the introduction of free prize draws, donations to children’s charities and the resignations of GMTV managing director Paul Corley and head of competitions Kate Fleming.
But it added that "GMTV’s disregard for the need to operate any reasonable compliance procedure, verification, oversight or management of the arrangements for the conduct of these competitions over such a long period of time could not, in the Committee’s view, be described as anything other than gross negligence".
This follows the £250,000 fine premium rate regulator ICSTIS levied on GMTV's phone service provider Opera earlier this week.
Ofcom's fine is the largest financial penalty to be imposed against a broadcaster to date.
The regulator said that the financial penalty would have been higher had GMTV not put in place an extensive programme of "reparations and remedies" including refunding viewers, the introduction of free prize draws, donations to children’s charities and the resignations of GMTV managing director Paul Corley and head of competitions Kate Fleming.
But it added that "GMTV’s disregard for the need to operate any reasonable compliance procedure, verification, oversight or management of the arrangements for the conduct of these competitions over such a long period of time could not, in the Committee’s view, be described as anything other than gross negligence".
About time too imho, these companies need to be punished severely for these crimes against consumers, which are in fact fraud to be honest.
Hit them where it hurts - in their pockets. Maybe they wont do it again then!!
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