Premium-rate phone regulator ICSTIS
(Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the
Telephone Information Services) has said that callers should also
be told how slim a chance they stand of being put through to the
studio, which is the only way that callers have an opportunity to
win a prize.
The shows have been a phenomenon of
multi-channel television, becoming popular as free digital
terrestrial service Freeview has opened up multi-channel viewing to
more people. The programming is extremely cheap and is only shown
late at night on terrestrial ITV1 or on digital services on
channels dedicated to the shows.
The regulator has proposed the rules in order
to stop consumers feeling exploited by the programmes. "The sector
cannot afford to be eroded by consumer mistrust. If the sector is
to flourish, Call TV quiz shows must enjoy widespread consumer
confidence," said Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of ICSTIS.
"Our review did not find evidence of unlawful
practices but we did uncover evidence which clearly highlighted the
need for consumers to be given more information about the cost of
taking part and the element of chance involved," said Graham. "We
are therefore proposing to refine our rules to ensure greater
transparency for consumers and to further encourage best practice
in the sector.”
Callers phone in to answer questions which are
displayed on screen and join a queue. The shows have been
criticised in the past for having questions that are incredibly
easy, and which encourage large numbers of callers to phone in and
generate revenue while on hold without ever being likely to win a
prize.
ICSTIS has been investigating the services
since October and will now hold a consultation period on its plans,
which is open until March. The regulator has also given evidence to
a Commons Select Committee that looked into the debt that viewers
were incurring by using the programmes.
The proposals also suggest a warning notice on
the phone line every 10 minutes as well as every £10, and that the
£10 barrier is counted on a per phone line per day basis, not just
per call. The ICSTIS review found that some firms already give both
these warnings, but that the practice is by no means universal.
The review found, though, that the audience
for the shows was literate about the payment mechanisms involved.
It found that 90% of users of the shows surveyed were aware that
they were charged whether or not they got through to the studio and
that selection for studio participation, and an opportunity to win
a prize, was entirely random.
The review found that while some stations and
programmes averaged income of up to £36,801, some shows averaged
£221 per hour. The average overall was £6,000 an hour, with a third
of that on average being given away in prize money.
