ASA rules BT Sport ad misleading
January 8, 2015
BT has been hit by a ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over an ad for its BT Sport pay-TV channels after Sky complained it had unclear information about a rise in cost.
The ad, which ran on the BT Sport website, included an offer for free access to BT Sport via the Sky platform for customers with a £12 (€15) BT Broadband package. However on scrolling down the ad and clicking a link, BT provided information that the cost of BT Broadband package would be rising to £13.50 per month. Sky argued that the information was not clear enough for consumers reading the ad.
BT said that as BT Sport is available with a one-month term, the change in price did not require the same prominence that a product with a longer minimum term, such as 12 months, would need.
However the ASA said despite consumers being able to cancel a contract within a 30-day period, the price rise should have been made clearer in the ads to ensure that consumers were aware of all the information they needed to make a decision about taking up a subscription.