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| Record fine over TV quiz phone-in | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The company behind the Richard and Judy premium rate telephone quiz scandal has been fined £150,000. | The company behind the Richard and Judy premium rate telephone quiz scandal has been fined £150,000. |
| Premium rate services regulator Icstis imposed the record penalty on Eckoh UK Ltd after an investigation into the Channel 4 show. | Premium rate services regulator Icstis imposed the record penalty on Eckoh UK Ltd after an investigation into the Channel 4 show. |
| It found viewers were urged to call its You Say, We Pay quiz after potential winners had been chosen, showing a "reckless disregard" for TV viewers. | It found viewers were urged to call its You Say, We Pay quiz after potential winners had been chosen, showing a "reckless disregard" for TV viewers. |
| Icstis is referring the case to media regulator Ofcom. | Icstis is referring the case to media regulator Ofcom. |
| The watchdog has indicated it may wish to investigate the actions of the parties involved under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. | The watchdog has indicated it may wish to investigate the actions of the parties involved under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. |
| Icstis also ordered a sanction to provide refunds to all those affected. | Icstis also ordered a sanction to provide refunds to all those affected. |
| 'Fundamental failings' | 'Fundamental failings' |
| Icstis chairman Sir Alistair Graham said the size of the fine reflected the "very serious nature" of the breach of our Code of Practice. | Icstis chairman Sir Alistair Graham said the size of the fine reflected the "very serious nature" of the breach of our Code of Practice. |
| "The hearing panel found clear evidence of fundamental failings in the winner selection process. | "The hearing panel found clear evidence of fundamental failings in the winner selection process. |
| "Winners were being chosen before the competition closing deadline, whilst millions of additional viewers were still encouraged to phone in and pay to enter the competition but were denied the opportunity of fair consideration. | "Winners were being chosen before the competition closing deadline, whilst millions of additional viewers were still encouraged to phone in and pay to enter the competition but were denied the opportunity of fair consideration. |
| "Such reckless disregard for viewers is unacceptable. In this case, viewers were not only 'paying competition entrants' but also consumers who enjoy a high degree of consumer protection already provided by Icstis." | "Such reckless disregard for viewers is unacceptable. In this case, viewers were not only 'paying competition entrants' but also consumers who enjoy a high degree of consumer protection already provided by Icstis." |
| He added: "The public should be able to use these services with absolute confidence." | He added: "The public should be able to use these services with absolute confidence." |
| Icstis said that almost five million viewers entered the competition at a cost of £1 per call. | Icstis said that almost five million viewers entered the competition at a cost of £1 per call. |
| But 47% of calls were received after the shortlist of winners had already been chosen by production company Cactus. | |
| We are extremely sorry for anyone who entered the competition and were not dealt with appropriately. Nik Philpot, Eckoh | |
| A Channel 4 spokesman said it was shocked to learn that management at Eckoh were aware the competition was not being operated properly six months before the problems were made public. | |
| The spokesman said: "We engaged Eckoh in good faith as a reputable and experienced service provider and we are very disappointed by their failure to ensure that all calls to the competition were handled properly." | |
| Channel 4 said it has since introduced a new monitoring regime to audit the performance of service providers on its remaining phone-in competitions. | |
| 'Frustrating' | |
| Nik Philpot, chief executive officer of Eckoh said: "We accept that Eckoh made mistakes with You Say, We Pay but it seems clear to us that all three parties could and should have spotted the problem earlier. | |
| "It was Eckoh who identified it and tried to take action. We have put in procedures that set the benchmark in terms of best practice and we are pleased that Icstis has described these as an admirable and comprehensive range of measures to ensure compliance in the future. | |
| "It is frustrating that, because Icstis can only adjudicate against Eckoh, we are the only party to be sanctioned whilst the fate of the broadcaster has to wait for any Ofcom investigation to conclude." | |
| He added: "We are extremely sorry for anyone who entered the competition and were not dealt with appropriately." |