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First look q2 2010 data
7 July 2010
A first look at CAB's approvals data for Q2 2010 suggests that the much heralded 'economic recovery' might just be running out of puff.
During the quarter CAB approved 3,254 commercials. This was 4.2% (131) more than were approved during the same period in 2009 but still 7.5% down from pre-crash high of 2008.
By comparison, in the first three months of this year our approvals were 11.1% up on the 2009 numbers and within 3% of the 2008 results.
The full analysis of the Q2 data will be published later this month.
you said what!?!
19 April 2010
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), the government entity responsible for policing radio and television programming, has released their latest study into the offensiveness of swear words.
Since 1999 the BSA has been asking the general public whether they feel certain words are acceptable or unacceptable during an 8.30pm television drama. Click here to view the 2010 results.
A comparison with previous studies show a clear decline in the offensiveness of swearing in television programming.
A word of warning
In CAB's experience the public's growing acceptance of swearing in a television drama does not translate to acceptance of swearing in television commercials.
Christmas '09 deadlines
3rd November 2009
Following last year's success the networks have again agreed to coordinate their scheduling and material deadlines for the Christmas period.
December is always the busiest month for advertising traffic managers as there are many more commercials plus they normally have to squeeze three weeks work into a single week.
To make life slightly less complicated for advertisers, ad agencies and broadcasters the traffic managers coordinate their scheduling and material deadlines.
The agreed deadlines for 2009 are as follows:
- Week starting Sun 13 Dec, instructions by Wed 9 Dec, material no later than 5pm Wed 9 Dec
- Week starting Sun 20 Dec, instructions by Wed 9 Dec, material no later than 12pm Wed 16 Dec
- Week starting Sun 27 Dec, instructions by Wed 16 Dec, material no later than 5pm Mon 21 Dec
- Week starting Sun 3 Jan, instructions by Wed 16 Dec, material no later than 5 pm Mon 21 Dec
If you cannot meet these deadlines you need to contact the stations well in advance to make alternative arrangements.
CAB will be closing at 1pm on Thursday 24 December
Remember that all commercials need to be approved by CAB before they can be broadcast. We will be closing for annual holidays from 1pm on Thursday 24 December until Tuesday 5 January.
We will be running skeleton cover on 29, 30 and 31 December but please try and let us know in advance if you need approvals over these three days. Happy Christmas.
one year on
18 September 2009
The Children's Food (CF) Classification system turned one in July this year. The evidence from the first 12 months is that it has been an unqualified success.
In July last year the New Zealand Television Broadcasters' Council, in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Broadcasting, implemented the Children's Food Classification Code (CF).
Earlier this week we held a review of the first 12 months' decisions.
The executive summary is that the number of ads approved for screening during children's programming dropped dramatically. Currently only 12% of all food and beverage ads can be broadcast in kids times, down from 89.5% during the year prior.
Click here to see the presentation.
SECOND QUARTER stats
31 July 2009
In the second quarter of 2009 we approved 3,123 commercials. This was 12.6% less than during the same period in 2008.
Each quarter we publish a report on the volume and type of commercials approved during the previous quarter. Click here to read our latest report and to find out which advertisers are producing more commercials during the recession.
Q1 09 approvals statistics
23rd April 2009
Our latest quarterly report confirms that 2009 has started slowly for most people working in advertising. Most people, but not everyone.
During the first three months of 2009 the Commercial Approvals Bureau classified a total of 2,725 commercial. This is a decline of 12.7% on the same period in 2008.
The biggest drops were recorded in the General Retail and Financial Services categories. Bucking the trend were the Entertainment, Food General and Media & DVD categories that produced more commercials this year than they did during Q1 2008.
The impact of the CF (children’s food) rating
Since 1 October 2008 food and beverage advertisers wishing to advertise during school age children’s programming have had show that their products meet certain nutritional standards. The idea is to create a viewing environment where young children are not inundated with unhealthy food advertising.
The evidence suggests this is working. In the first three months of last year 88.5% of all food and beverage commercials could run in children’s programming (414 commercials out of 468).
In the first quarter of 2009 just 8.2% all food and beverage commercials could run in children’s programming (35 commercial out of 427).
Click here to view the full presentation.
Standardising key numbers
24th february 2009
From 1 April 2009, New Zealand’s television broadcasters will start enforcing an industry standard for the formatting of key numbers. The move is part of an effort ensure compatibility with the broadcasters' IT systems and to minimise instruction errors.
Irregular key numbers are a perennial problem for broadcasters as they often need to be revised or shortened to fit with broadcasting systems. This creates a mismatch that can result in a commercial not being put to air.
The only long-term solution is to enforce the standardisation of key numbers. The good news is that the new industry standard is already used by about 70% of all commercials broadcast in NZ.
From 1 April 2009:
- A key number should include no more than 12 alphanumeric characters. Dashes, slashes and hyphens are treated as spaces and are ignored.
- All key numbers must follow the advertiser/duration/unique reference format (e.g. ABC 030 0001 and ABC 015 0002). This ensures that the advertiser and duration are easily identifiable and that no two dubs from a single advertiser will ever have the same last four digits.
- The 'R' suffix (e.g. ABC 030 0001R) must only be used to denote a technical amendment. Any change to the actual contents of the commercial requires a new key number.
CAB has been asked to ensure that all commercials approved after 1 April follow this simple format.
CAB is the NEW NAME FOR TVCAB
9th february 2009
From today the Television Commercial Approvals Bureau (or TVCAB) will simply be known as the Commercial Approvals Bureau.
The decision to drop the word 'television' reflects the changing nature of New Zealand's television broadcasting landscape. Today it is increasingly common to view commercials on the internet or on a mobile phone.
With the support of the major television broadcasters, our approval and classification services now cover all non-traditional TV broadcasting such as video on demand, mobile television or any future IPTV services.
This change also gives us a long overdue opportunity to refresh our corporate identity.
If you're interested in reading more about the evolving television landscape (often summarised as Television 2.0) we can recommend a older article in Forbes magazine or a more recent article in AdMedia magazine. For a cutting edge perspective try this article on the Fast Company website.
A new website for cab
9th february 2009
By now you'll have noticed that we have a shiny new website. We redesigned the site to make it easier for novices and old hands alike to quickly access the information and resources they need.
Here are some of the key changes you'll notice:
- More information on New Zealand's self-regulatory environment. Many of our overseas customers are keen to understand the roles and responsibilities of the various organisations that govern advertising in New Zealand. We hope this helps.
- A comprehensive reference section covering the standards, guidelines and rules applicable to television advertising in New Zealand.
- A dedicated news section reporting on relevant and topical Advertising Standards Complaints Board (ASCB) decisions. These decisions influence our approvals process so we think it is important to share the decisions shaping our thinking.
- A dedicated news section for us to highlight industry news, research or stories that we think (or hope) might be of interest to our customers and their clients.
- Streamlined online application forms with the ability to upload finished commercials.
- An overhauled "members area". This improvement gives us a platform to add new services over the next 18 months including online training materials for production, agency and advertiser staff.
We hope your find our new site useful and look forward to hearing any comments or suggestions for further improvements.
a new office for cab
9TH february 2009
After a few months squatting in temporary offices we're very pleased to report that we've finally moved into our new home.
Our new address is Level 5, 9 High Street in downtown Auckland.
Besides putting us on the doorstep of hundreds of cafe's, shops, bars and restaurants we now have specialised facilities and a conference room which we will be making available to CAB's stakeholders and clients.
Please feel free to drop in and visit us next time you're in the neighbourhood.
Single pricelist from 1 January
6th october 2008
For nearly two decades TVCAB has charged different prices to approve commercials broadcast nationwide, in Auckland and in other regions.
This distinction dates from a simpler era when all broadcasters used terrestrial analogue feeds and regional splits were a primary measure of audience reach.
The growth in digital and satellite households over the past decade means that this reach-based distinction is increasingly obsolete and unfair. For example, today a 'regional buy' often includes spots broadcast on a national digital or satellite transmission and a 'national buy' can be so tightly targeted as to reach a smaller audience than the smallest terrestrial region.
To resolve this inconsistency we will phase out our regional fees and use one pricelist for all commercials irrespective of the target audience. The cost to TVCAB of approving and classifying a regional commercial is identical to the cost of approving a nationwide commercial.
From 1 January 2009 the current nationwide pricelist will become the standard pricelist for all commercials approved for broadcast in New Zealand.
Click here to view fees.
For most advertisers this is business as usual as these are the fees that they have been paying since January 2006. In practice less than 20% of commercials are regional and the vast majority of these are minor revisions.
For those affected we hope that by introducing this change during the slowest month of the year, and after the busy Christmas and New Year sales periods, its impact will be minimal.
amex cards welcome
15TH october 2008
You might be pleased to know that we now accept American Express, MasterCard and Visa credit cards.
To pay by credit card you will need to download, complete and return our fax payment authorisation form. Once your payment has been processes we will destroy the fax with your card details.
Alternatively you can pay over the phone by calling TVCAB on +64 9 373 2907. All you will need is your invoice number(s) and your credit card.
For security reasons we do not (and will not) retain credit card details for future payments.
Christmas material deadlines
20th November 2008
TVNZ, TVWorks and Sky/Prime have co-ordinated their scheduling and material deadlines for the upcoming Christmas and holiday season.
For those new to the process it is important to remember that December is always a very busy month as there are many more commercials plus the stations have to squeeze three weeks work into a single week. There is little room for error.
The industry's scheduling & material deadlines are as follows:
- Week starting Sun 14 Dec, instructions by Wed 10 Dec, material no later than 5pm Wed 10 Dec
- Week starting Sun 21 Dec, instructions by Wed 10 Dec, material no later than 12pm Wed 17 Dec
- Week starting Sun 28 Dec, instructions by Wed 17 Dec, material no later than 5pm Mon 22 Dec
- Week starting Sun 4 Jan, instructions by Wed 17 Dec, material no later than 5 pm Mon 22 Dec
If you cannot meet these deadlines you need to contact the stations ASAP to make alternative arrangements.
GET ALL COMMERCIALS APPROVED BEFORE 1PM 24 DECEMBER
Remember that all commercials need to be approved by TVCAB before they can be broadcast. We will be closing for annual holidays from 1pm on Wednesday 24 December until Monday 5 January.
There will be emergency cover on 29, 30 and 31 December but, unless you have made a prior arrangement, approvals during these three days will be charged at the penalty rates of twice the normal rates.
Here's hoping everything will be completed in time for a decent and worry-free Christmas holiday.
Commercials in widescreen
1st November 2008
TVNZ insists that all new commercials submitted after 1st February 2009 must be in widescreen format.
TVNZ PRESS RELEASE - As you are aware, all major broadcasters are now transmitting in widescreen format to enhance the viewer experience.
TVNZ has been transmitting in widescreen since September 2007 and during this time we have been transitioning commercials by accepting both widescreen and non-widescreen formats. However we now believe it is an appropriate time to transition all commercials to the widescreen format to eliminate the visual disturbance to viewers from a range of different commercial formats.
From 1st February 2009 all newly created advertisements delivered to TVNZ, should conform to the widescreen (16:9 FHA) format.
If you require more detailed information, please feel free to contact your TVNZ sales representative. We look forward to working with you in further improving our viewers widescreen experience.
Key numbers no longer than 12 characters
1st august 2009
We don't insist on a standard format for key numbers but we do insist that they're limited to a maximum of 12 characters.
Standardising the format for key numbers would make life a lot easier for the traffic departments of ever television station in New Zealand. For starters, it would reduce the risk of ads being broadcast (or not) in error.
More realistically we have been asked by the broadcasters to encourage advertisers to limit their key numbers to a MAXIMUM OF 12 CHARACTERS.
There is a very good reason for this.
Any longer and the stations have to start chopping off letters when they load the commercial into their respective broadcasting systems. With not standard format, the tricky part is working out which letters matter and which are meaningless.
12 characters will always fit into the allotted space and gives a few characters breathing space to note revisions and amendments to commercials, e.g. -R, -R2, etc.
IN A PERFECT WORLD
In a perfect world anybody broadcasting a television commercial in New Zealand would create their key numbers using the following format:
AAAAA TTT XXXXX
A = up to five characters to identify the advertiser or brand, e.g. ABC or ABCNZ
T = the duration of the commercial, e.g. 030 or 30
X = a unique series of numbers to identify each commercial for the advertiser or brand
Revision can then simply be denoted with an R, e.g. ABC 030 12345 R or ABC 030 12345 R2
The good news for broadcaster is that about 70% of the 14,000 commercials approved by TVCAB each year already follow this format. For the other 30% you may well have good reasons not to adopt this very logical format but please restrict yourself to a maximum of 12 characters.
Election advertising
12th September 2008
Here are our procedures for approving advertising during the official election period from writ day on 8 October to Election Day on 8 November.
Here's what we'll be looking for:
1. Is the ad trying, explicitly or implicitly, to influence how people vote?
If so then we'll class it as an election ad and will come under the jurisdiction of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA). This is easy to determine when the advertiser is a political party but a bit trickier when the advertiser is a 3rd party, for example, a social advocacy group. We'll be erring well on the side of caution in making this call.
2. If it is an election ad, is the advertiser registered with the Electoral Commission?
Under the Electoral Finance Act any 3rd party that intends to spend more than $12,000 on election advertising between 1 January and Election Day is required to register with the Electoral Commission.
As it is difficult to spend less than $12,000 on television advertising our default is to reject ads from anyone not listed on the Electoral Commission's website.
3. Is the identity of the advertiser clear?
This is a requirement for all advocacy ads but the Electoral Commission is more prescriptive in the case of election ads. All election ads must contain a legible statement setting out the name and address of the promoter. Failure to do so is an offence and will be referred to the Police.
Needless to say we'll be checking for these promoter statements. It is worth noting that an ad advocating a party vote and a candidate vote requires both promoters' statements.
4. Does that ad meet the BSA's code for election advertising?
The ad shouldn't be misleading, can't be denigrating and opinions must be distinguishable from factual information.
In practice this means that if you're quoting facts (with a capital F) then make sure they're correct. In the interests of free speech, the BSA's measure of what is and isn't denigration allows for almost everything but hate speech. Have a look at the ‘Practice Notes' section on the bsa.govt.nz website for further details.
Follow the links below for further information:
Advertising Standards Authority
Guy Fawkes 2008
16th october 2008
In 2007 the New Zealand Government introduced regulations to control the sale of fireworks. The key changes were to increase the legal purchase age to 18 and to limit the sales period to the four days prior to Guy Fawkes.
For television advertising this means that fireworks ads can now only run after 8:30pm. There are also restrictions on the dates that the broadcasters will accept fireworks advertising. These are:
Between 26 October and 1 November but the ad must state that fireworks are only on sale from 2 November.
Between 2 November and 5pm on 5 November (so effectively the evening of 4 November).
Click here for more information.
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