ASA Adjudication on God TV Ltd

Ad

A circular, for God TV, was divided into two halves. On the left-hand side, the ad contained strobe lines, broadly similar to those used in the Big Brother logo. Text stated "WATCH THE HOUSE MATES SLEEP?". The right-hand side was plain white and text stated "WATCH A PARALYSED WOMAN WALK?" Further, smaller, text stated "THIS IS REALITY TV SKY 760 (580 AFTER 21ST JULY) EVERY NIGHT FROM 7.00PM".

Issue

One complainant challenged whether the ad was misleading, because it implied viewers would witness a miracle on TV.

CAP Code

Response

God TV said the circular had been distributed during the recent period when Big Brother had appeared on Channel 4.  They pointed out that both "WATCH THE HOUSE MATES SLEEP?" and "WATCH A PARALYSED WOMAN WALK?" had been phrased as questions.  They said the reference to house mates sleeping had been in response to general speculation that people would sometimes watch Big Brother and merely watch people sleeping; the question was whether this would be all you saw if you watched.  God TV said the second question asked the reader whether there was a possibility that they could watch a paralysed woman walk if they watched God TV.

God TV asserted that neither phrase was presented as a statement of fact, or as an opinion, but as a question on the possibilities for people watching different programmes.  They maintained that while not everyone believed in the healing power of faith, many people did and they believed that there had been examples in the past of people who had been unable to walk but had done so after a religious experience.

God TV said that they had no plans to use the wording in the ad again.

Assessment

Not Upheld

The ASA noted the complainant's concern about the circular.  We also noted God TV's argument that both statements had been phrased as questions.  We considered that the circular referred to two hypothetical situations, and readers would not take either statements as literal statements of what a viewer would definitely watch on either Big Brother or God TV.  We further considered that most people in the UK were aware of Christian beliefs, particularly of the belief in miracles and would merely see the phrases as suggesting God TV offered viewers the chance to watch more captivating TV.  Because the circular did not state or imply that a miracle had been shown, or definitely would be shown, we concluded that the circular was unlikely to mislead, and would be seen as God TVs own opinion of what their programming had to offer viewers.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code Clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 8.1 (Matters of opinion) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)