Amendments to RASA
Changes to ITC Rules on the Amount and Scheduling of Advertising
The ITC announced on 21 September a number of changes to its Rules on the Amount and Scheduling of Advertising (RASA), following discussions on the ITV Weekday Evening schedule.
This document gives formal notification of these changes, which affect a number of the existing rules as set out in the Autumn 1998 edition of RASA. Full details of these changes are attached.
We do not propose to distribute a reprinted version of RASA at this stage, though printed copies distributed from now on will include this amendment sheet. The version on the ITC’s web site has also been changed.
If you have any queries about the implementation of these rules, my colleague Chris Smith would be pleased to help. You can contact him on 020 7306 7701, fax 020 7306 7717, email chris.smith@itc.org.uk.
Please note that the permission to extend centre breaks by the addition of programme promotions will require promotions to be separately identified and reported to the ITC for monitoring purposes. Specific proposals will be brought forward in due course for incorporation into RASA.
Stephen Locke
Director of Advertising and Sponsorship
ITV EVENING SCHEDULE:CHANGES TO RULES ON ADVERTISING BREAKS
The following changes to the ITC’s Rules on the Amount and Scheduling of Advertising (RASA) Autumn 1998 edition, will be made with immediate effect.
1. Maximum permitted peaktime minutage
This is increased from a maximum of 7.5 minutes per hour averaged over the hours 18.00 to 23.00 to 8 minutes per hour, increasing the total over this period from 37.5 minutes to 40 minutes. An equivalent change is made to the limit on advertising between the hours of 07.00 and 09.00, which is increased from a total of 15 minutes to 16.
Rule 1.1.1 (c)
In line 2, delete “... an average of seven and a half minutes ...” and insert “... an average of eight minutes ...”.
2. Internal advertising breaks on channels 3, 4 and 5
The number of internal breaks permitted is now limited by the requirement that 20 minutes should normally elapse between each successive natural break. (See RASA Rule 5.4).
Rule 5.6 (a)
Delete (i) to (iv).
Insert
(a) In programmes of up to 20 minutes duration – no breaks.
Note 1:
The normal use of internal breaks in longer programmes should be as follows:
* in programmes of 21- 44 minutes duration – one break
* in programmes of 45-59 minutes duration – two breaks
* in programmes of 60-89 minutes duration – three breaks
* in programmes of 90-119 minutes duration – four breaks
* in programmes of 120-149 minutes duration – five breaks
Note 2:
When inserting additional breaks in existing programmes licensees should take particular note of Section 6 following when selecting a “natural break” point.
3. Maximum duration of centre breaks
The limit of three minutes placed on centre breaks in programmes of 30 minutes or less has been removed.
Rule 5.6 (b)
Delete this rule.
Insert:
(b) The maximum duration of any break within a programme is three minutes fifty seconds, of which no more than three and a half minutes may be advertising and no more than 20 seconds may be programme promotion.
Delete the Note at the end of Rule 5.6.
ITC, 2 October 2000
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