Media regulator OfCom has criticised Channel 4 for airing a music show that included "excessive use" of its sponsor's name. OfCom was responding to viewer complaints about the Sony Ericcson Christmas Calling, a show I didn't see but which, I'm told, included live performances from various bands, interactive quizzes and, it would seem, an awful lot of plugging for the phone company. One viewer described the show as a "sponsored advert for Sony", while the regulator themselves concluded the frequent mentions of Sony Ericcson during the show were not "editorially justified".
Channel 4 argued that Sony Ericcson had not had any editorial input into the show, which was made by indie company Freedom TV, and added that neither including a brand's name in a show title nor giving away products made by a sponsor (two of the things the network was criticised for) are against OfCom rules. It admitted that three artists featured were signed to Sony Ericsson's sister company SonyBMG, but pointed out that bands from other major labels also appeared (and let's be fair, Sony Ericcson and SonyBMG are pretty disparate despite sharing a parent company - it is unlikely one would insist on the plugging of the other's products).
Nevertheless, OfCom ruled Channel 4 had, in fact, breached its code, saying the number of references to Sony, taken as a whole, "created the impression that the sponsor had unacceptably influenced the content of the programme".