The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) recently published a ruling on a consumer complaint regarding a television advertisement for the DStv Explora decoder.<\/p>\n
According to the complaint, the commercial was about the Explora\u2019s Super SlowMo feature, but didn\u2019t adequately highlight DStv\u2019s PVR access fee of R75 per month.<\/p>\n
The closing scene of the ad reportedly showed an image of the decoder and displayed the following disclaimer for two seconds in a small, white font:<\/p>\n
Terms and conditions apply<\/p>\n
R75 or your country’s specific monthly access fee is applicable<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Responding to the complaint, MultiChoice told the ASA that the purpose of the ad was to promote the slow-motion feature of the Explora PVR decoder, but that the series of commercials ended in May 2014 and would not be repeated in the same format.<\/p>\n
The ASA accepted MultiChoice\u2019s undertaking to not air the advertisements again in their current format, but added that the pay-TV operator should consider the following provision in the Code of Advertising Practice:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere material information is superimposed on screen, the print shall be clearly visible and remain on screen long enough to be easily read by the hypothetical reasonable viewer.\u201d<\/p>\n
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