Split SBS News Part 2 for Mid-Roll Ads... Newspaper Association Calls It "Excessive Evasive Practice"

MBC Followed by SBS to Introduce 'Quasi Mid-Roll Ads' in News
Korea Newspaper Association Points Out "No Different from Mid-Roll Ads Banned on Terrestrial TV"
Broadcasting Commission Must Take Action Instead of Standing By

[Asia Economy Reporter Shim Nayoung] The Korea Newspaper Association criticized SBS, a terrestrial broadcaster, for pushing to introduce 'quasi-mid-roll ads' in its 50-minute news program starting August 3, calling it a 'deceptive practice.'

The Korea Newspaper Association (Chairman Hong Junho) pointed out in a statement submitted to the Korea Communications Commission on the 28th, "Although current laws prohibit mid-roll ads on terrestrial broadcasts, implementing quasi-mid-roll ads?essentially mid-roll ads under a different name?is a blatant act of 'turning a blind eye and pretending not to see.'

Quasi-mid-roll ads refer to separated ads inserted by splitting a single broadcast program into two or three parts. Mid-roll ads are advertisements scheduled by interrupting a single continuous broadcast program after it has started but before it ends. The association noted that the quasi-mid-roll ads SBS intends to introduce are effectively illegal mid-roll ads.

The association expressed concern, stating, "The general consensus among academia and experts is that quasi-mid-roll ads have the same impact as mid-roll ads on the media industry. If quasi-mid-roll ads spread, the concentration of advertising on terrestrial broadcasts will accelerate, worsening the imbalance among media outlets."

It added, "The frequency of program splitting and the lifting of genre restrictions have led to the indiscriminate proliferation of quasi-mid-roll ads. They have expanded beyond dramas and entertainment to news programs such as MBC's 'News Desk' in June and SBS's '8 o'clock News.'" It emphasized, "Attempting to split a news program that is less than an hour long to insert ads in the middle is not the right approach for terrestrial broadcasters, whose lifeblood is public interest and public service."

The association demanded, "Despite the excessive use of deceptive mid-roll ads by terrestrial broadcasters, the Korea Communications Commission, which should regulate this, has been passively allowing it due to the lack of sanction regulations. The Commission must strongly regulate to prevent further spread of such deceptive practices and amend and supplement the deficiencies in current broadcasting laws."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.