Bangla TV in serious breach of Ofcom rules

Bangla TV is the latest channel to be in serious breach of Ofcom rules and regulations after it made a number of major errors.

The breaches included the legitimacy of charity appeals it had ran on the channel and the failure of responding and providing material to the media regulator.

In August last year, Bangla TV had broadcast two charity appeals but the charitis in question had been invoiced by Bangla TV. Ofcom says that charity appeal broadcasts during or as a programme must be broadcast “free of charge”. This is to ensure that a distinction is maintained between advertising and programming, and that programmes do not become vehicles for the promotion of a particular cause. Therefore, if payment, or the provision of some other valuable consideration, is made for the appeal, it may only be broadcast outside programming (i.e. as advertising).

The complainant questioned the legitimacy of the organisation’s charitable status. Bangla TV failed to provide Ofcom with any evidence that it had taken reasonable steps, as required by Rule 10.13, in this instance and the appeal was therefore in breach of this rule.

Ofcom notes that Bangla TV initially said that the charity had paid for the broadcast of advertisements prior to the broadcast appeal, but this had not been a pre-condition for the broadcast of the appeal itself, for which no charge had been made. However, the broadcaster failed to provide Ofcom with all the recordings and information, and we were therefore unable to reach a decision on the matter.

Ofcom noted that the broadcaster failed to provide all the recordings and information required and requested by Ofcom for it to reach a decision on the complaints it had received. It is imperative that licensees have appropriate compliance procedures in place to deal with all such requests from Ofcom. Failure to meet these requirements seriously and significantly breached Conditions 11 and 12 of Bangla TV?s licence.

Since these blunders, Bangla TV has ceased broadcasting in the UK. It was removed from the Sky Digital platform last month. There is no word of its return anytime soon.