Sweden seeks ban on foreign alcohol advertising

Swedish lobby groups are calling on the European Commission to impose a total ban on alcohol advertising on TV after some channels are able to avoid the ban by being registered abroad.

The Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (Myndigheten) claim broadcasters Viasat and SBS are finding a way around the ban as they are licensed by Ofcom in the UK.

Sweden has had a complete ban on alcohol advertisements on TV for some time, but beers and spirits are frequently shown on adverts during TV breaks in the UK.

“In Sweden the rules are quite clear,” said Cecilia Norlander, lawyer with the Swedish Consumer, as reported by The Local. “There is a complete ban on all forms of televised alcohol advertising but we have seen over the lat few years a lot of adverts for alcohol being directed to the Swedish market on these channels.

Although the channels aired by Viasat and SBS are licensed in the UK, they are only shown in the Swedish language to viewers in Sweden.

“These aren’t English channels but programmes that are broadcast just for a Swedish audience in their native language,” Norlander added. “As such, the broadcasters should follow the same rules as all the other channels and that is why we are requesting the European Commission to investigate the matter.”

If the European Commission decides SBS and Viasat are in breach of the law, both authorities have confirmed they intend to sue the broadcasters in Swedish courts.

In 2012, the Swedish Broadcasting Commission said it “found no reason to alter its previous view that the specified TV channels fall under British jurisdiction”, which Ofcom agreed with.

A ban on print alcohol advertising was only lifted in 2005 after it was ruled the measure violated EU legislation.

“We’ve been working on this case for several years and we’ve been assured that the Commission will give use an answer within two months,” Norlander said.

However, it cannot be denied there have been some highly engaging and at times, controversial, alcohol advertisements from TV to print, as this list of top 10 greatest spirits advertisements shows.