ASA Adjudication on UKTV New Ventures Ltd

Ad

Three ads were shown during The Round Tower, a Catherine Cookson drama, on Yesterday, a TV channel.

Issue

The Monitoring team challenged whether the ads were excessively noisy and too noisy in comparison to the surrounding programme material.

BCAP TV Code

Response

Yesterday explained that its transmission house, Red Bee Media, used a subjective loudness meter with its reference level (the 0dB level) set to -18 dBFS and a 4-second rolling integration window.  It ensured that the audio level for ads was set so that the maximum ITU loudness reading reached at least -3dB on the scale, did not exceed 0dB and registered below 6 PPM on the Peak Programme Meter (PPM).  It said that the 4.5 PPM guide did not apply to ads using a subjective loudness meter.  As a result it believed that its ads could peak at 6 PPM providing that the subjective loudness meter did not peak above 0dB.  It confirmed that the ads in question had peaked at between 5 and 5.5 PPM.  

Red Bee Media explained it transmitted ads for several broadcasters and had adopted a consistent reference level. It had therefore not set individual subjective loudness levels for each broadcaster.  

It said that it had started using the subjective loudness meter in April and, although it was replacing previously delivered ads with improved quality versions, in some instances, newly delivered ads were transmitting back to back with previously delivered ads which had not gone through the subjective loudness meter.  These older ads had been assessed to ensure that that they did not peak above 4.5 PPM and that would account for the noticeable sound level differences between the ads.  It believed the change over would be completed by October 2009.

Yesterday finally acknowledged that the difference in levels was partly down to the quiet nature of the drama but also because the overall programme levels were low.  Yesterday said they would adjust the levels of the programme to minimise future loudness discrepancies between it and the ad.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted that The Round Tower was a quiet drama with a lot of dialogue.  We also noted that several of the ads were consistent with the sound level of the programme.  

When we assessed the programme and the ads using a subjective loudness meter we noted that the three loud ads readings were at least 3 dB louder than the loudest bit of the programme and more often 4 dB louder. The remaining ads measured at levels that were largely consistent with the sound level of the programme.

We considered that the three ads were excessively noisy in comparison with the programme.  

We advised that setting a uniform subjective loudness level for several channels should take account of the particular loudness profile of each channel. While the Code states the use of a subjective loudness meter is the preferred method for the measurement and balancing of loudness levels, its effectiveness does depend upon the choice of an appropriate reference level that reflects the programme material generally broadcast on a particular channel.

The ads breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rule 6.9 (Sound levels in advertisements).

Action

The ads loudness must not be excessive and must be more harmonious with the surrounding programme material before being transmitted again.  Yesterday was reminded to ensure that its output levels for ads complied with the Code.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)