Sahara One in breach for “exceeding advertising allowance”

Sahara One has been found in breach for exceeding the maximum allowance for advertising per hour.

During monitoring, media regulator Ofcom noted that there were six instances of infringement varying from four seconds to 60 seconds.

Ofcom�۪s monitoring also uncovered 31 instances where films broadcast by Sahara One contained more internal breaks than is permitted by COSTA (Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising).

The broadcaster said that it had recently outsourced its playout and scheduling systems to a third party but its Technical Manager had briefed this party about Ofcom compliance issues.

Ofcom’s commented that Licensee has had no previous breach findings in relation to COSTA, adding Sahara One did not have a full understanding of the requirements of COSTA. Ofcom will continue to monitor the channel
and will consider further regulatory action should repeated COSTA compliance issues arise.