Ofcom pulls up ATN Bangla for exceeding commercial airtime

ATN Bangla has been pulled up by Ofcom for exceeding commercial airtime during December 2019.

During routine monitoring Ofcom identified 25 instances when the amount of advertising broadcast on ATN Bangla UK in a clock hour appeared to exceed the permitted allowance.

ATN Bangla did not respond to Ofcom’s Preliminary View that it was in breach.

Ofcom concluded that it was concerned that despite ATN Bangla’s previous assurances, further instances have occurred. On 27th August 2019, Ofcom recorded breaches of Rule 2 of COSTA against ATN Bangla for broadcasting more than the permitted amount of advertising on 16 occasions. In its response, the broadcaster assured Ofcom that its compliance team was now monitoring output to ensure that advertising minutage would not exceed the maximum amount in the future.

Ofcom has put ATN Bangla on notice that it will consider further regulatory action in the event of a recurrence.