NBA issues guidelines for general entertainment footage

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has issued a new set of guidelines which states that the live telecast of any fresh footage from the general entertainment channels (GECs) cannot take place for more than eight minutes (whether from one or more general entertainment broadcaster/s).

According to the NBA, a designated news channel can host fresh footage from general entertainment channels after a minimum seven-minute delay following the live broadcast of any 'Fresh GE Footage' by the host broadcaster.

The guidelines are based on the thought that the general entertainment material is not central to the news genre, and accordingly, general entertainment footage must be used sparingly (subject to the guidelines appearing below), and only when such footage has some intrinsic news value, or which is connected to any news or current affairs being reported.

The news channel will be permitted to repeat the fresh GE footage twice in a news day -- that is, fresh GE footage may be used on one premier and two repeats.

Also, no footage, or part thereof, may be provided or made available by a designated news broadcaster to any third party. However, such restriction on repeats will not apply to fresh GE footage of an exceptional occurrence of news value used in a news programme.

Meanwhile, the designated news channel could use a maximum of two minutes of archival footage per news day, which shall also be subject to the same restrictions as to repeat use as Fresh GE Footage.

The guidelines further state that "use of any Footage (whether fresh GE footage or archival Footage) in excess of the stipulations contained above shall be permissible only under separate contractual arrangements between the designated news broadcaster and a general entertainment broadcaster and not otherwise".

Additionally, the guidelines suggest that the use of fresh GE will be limited in each case to use within news and/or current affairs programmes. "No use of fresh GE footage and/or archival footages is permitted in any circumstances for any commercial purposes," it says.

For the avoidance of doubt, a designated news broadcaster may commercially exploit any news and/or current affairs programme. Within this, fresh GE footage and/or archival footage will be broadcast as a whole, in the regular course, through normal advertising/sponsorship breaks usual in programming of news channels. This will however be applicable when no advertising, sting, logo, graphic and/or any other commercial (morphing) activity occurs immediately before, immediately after, or during the fresh GE footage and/or archival footage, and no association is created between the use of fresh GE footage, and/or archival footage, and any third party brand or product.

Through the guidelines, NBA also suggests that 'courtesy bug acknowledging the concerned host broadcaster must be pasted by the designated news broadcaster throughout the broadcast of any fresh GE footage and/or archival footage'.

The designated news broadcasters must use the correct name of the GE programme, and the GE logo in any and all broadcasts in which the GE programme is mentioned or referred to.