Sherlock Holmes ads deemed too loud by advertising watchdog
Sherlock Holmes ads deemed too loud by advertising watchdog
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Adverts used during an episode of ITV3's Sherlock Holmes have been deemed too loud by the advertising watchdog.
Eight adverts shown during the advertising break received complaints with one complainant telling the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) the ads were "excessively noisy compared to the surrounding programme material".
In its defence ITV3 said the Sherlock Holmes series was made in the early 1980s and the style of production was considerably different to modern dramas and ads.
The broadcaster said there were many instances where the audio was nearly silent as the characters considered the mystery before them, and incidental music was very much in the background. They said that the scenes where characters argued and shouted, although short in duration, were as loud as the loudest parts of the ads.
They suggested that if the viewer had become accustomed to the quieter sections within the programme then that might have contributed to their perception that the ad break was loud. ITV3 believed the loudness of the ads was appropriate and consistent in the context of the overall loudness of the channel but said it recognised that there might have been an issue with the programme material.
However, the ASA said that while it recognised that commercial breaks sometimes occurred during especially quiet parts of a programme, it "nevertheless concluded that the ads were excessively strident and breached the Code [CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rule 6.9]".
The watchdog therefore ruled that the ads loudness must not be excessive and must be more consistent with the surrounding programme material.