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Viacom Battles Children’s Ad Rules

Viacom has asked the Federal Court of Appeals in Washington to throw out the FCC’s new regulations for advertising on children’s TV programs, a move the network portrayed as a defensive play against the Office of Communication, which filed its own lawsuit asking the court to force the FCC to strengthen the rules with an outright ban on click-through marketing to children watching digital TV, Mediaweek reports. The rules are set to take effect Jan. 1, 2006.

The Big Three broadcast networks say the rules will reduce advertising, crimp revenue and possibly threaten the financial underpinnings of children’s programs, while forcing expensive redesigns of Web sites aimed at youth audiences.

 

Disney, Viacom and NBC said the rules could force “far-reaching, burdensome and expensive changes” to Web sites belonging to broadcasters and to cable operators, which also fall under the rules. “The companies might be required to eliminate any reference, anywhere on their Web sites, to a product or service related to on-air characters, such as SpongeBob SquarePants or Mickey Mouse,” the companies said.

Nickelodeon could be forced “to jettison or revamp its entire online strategy,” Herb Scannell, Nickelodeon president and vice chairman of MTV Networks, told the FCC in a filing.