Ofcom raps Sky for ad campaign

Attack on Virgin Media was out of order

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28 October 2008 9:46 GMT / By Katie Scott

Ofcom has given Sky a telling -off following on from ads that took a rather large dig at competitor, Virgin Media.

The ads referred to the falling out between the two companies, which has led to the fact that some of the Sky channels are now not available for Virgin Media customers.

They then hinted that perhaps these customers should think about switching.

Ofcom acted after Virgin Media and 127 viewers complained about the ads.

The watchdog argued that Sky had given "undue prominence" to the fact that customers could switch from Virgin Media in the campaign, which ran in 2007, shortly after the negotiations between the two companies had broken down.

Sky has responded arguing that the ads were designed to let customers know about the "availability of its services for their benefit" and also said that there was a "significant risk" at the time that its channels would no longer be available on Virgin Media.