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The Weinstein Company, the company distributing the Dixie Chicks’ documentary, Shut Up & Sing, has accused NBC and the CW of refusing to accept commercial spots for the film, but the controversy may just be a ruse to drum up publicity for the film.
Network executives have said that The Weinstein Company didn’t go about purchasing media time in the normal way. They sent the commercial to the networks’ broadcast standards and practices department without ever inquiring about a media buy through the ad sales departments, writes MediaPost.
Executives say that Weinstein, after being rejected by the standards department, went back to NBC with new creative, which was rejected a second time. The company attempted only once with the CW.
An NBC Universal spokeswoman says that the spot was rejected because it violated a policy of not broadcasting ads that deal with issues of public controversy. She adds that the company did not make a national media buy for the film, nor did anyone from the company ever inquire about buying time on the networks.
Movie marketing executives, however, say that Weinstein may have gone directly to the standards and practices departments first because it realized the spot could be a problem.
Network executives say that The Weinstein Co. knew days in advance that there were problems with the ads but that it didn’t release its announcement about being rejected by the networks until late afternoon Thursday, a day before the film was to open.
A spokeswoman from Weinstein Co. denies this, however. She says the spot was rejected by the networks late in the week.
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