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BBC ITV

BBC apologises for accidental advert

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

July 25, 2011 | 2 min read

The BBC has apologised for showing an advert telling viewers to buy tickets for the ATP World Tour tennis tournament.

The advert was shown at 7.23pm on BBC2 during Wimbledon coverage on 22 June, and told viewers to buy their tickets for the tennis event which will be held in the O2 Arena in November. It is reported that the advert also contained references to Barclays.

ITV complained about the advert to the BBC, and asked if they were getting paid for showing this. BARB, the television ratings body, said that 2.7 million viewers were watching at the time, and advertising executives said that a similar slot on ITV would have cost about of £30,000.

A spokesperson for the BBC is reported in the Telegraph as saying: “The trail was handed to the BBC by the ATP and the intention was to use some of the tennis images in it in a re-cut, re-voiced version. But, due to a breakdown in communication during this exceptionally busy event, the original trail was transmitted before the replacement was made.

“The mistake was immediately recognised, and steps were immediately taken to ensure that that trail would never be shown again. The person responsible was spoken to, and fully accepts that more care should have been taken in handling this material.”

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