Why for the first time does the EC propose rules on product placement?
Product placement is not addressed as such by the current Television Without Frontiers directive, which includes the principle of separation and the prohibition of “surreptitious advertising” applied to programmes for which broadcasters are responsible. Product placement is nonetheless common practice in independently produced works and feature films, without any appropriate consumer protection and without clear rules that would give investors in content certainty as to the law. In Europe, only a few member states (such as Austria) have rules in place that define product placement and allow it under certain conditions.
