Whenever I watch one of the BBC channels and Apple computers appear on screen (in a series or whatever, like Dr. Who or Eastenders, you know!), they cover up the Apple logo. Yeah that's ok if they do it with all the other electronics companies BUT THEY DON'T!! Whenever a SONY TV is on screen you can see the logo, or a TOSHIBA laptop, does anyone know what's up with the BBC?
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What's with the BBC and Apple???
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It's to do with the fact that they cannot endorse a company/brand/logo, as the BBC is a commercial free, government funded organisation. I suppose the Apple logo is more easily identifiable these days due to the success of the iPod, so the BBC are more aware of Apple hardware being visible.
Rich.
It has to do with licensing. BBC is not licensed to use the Apple logo and/or Apple has not paid for advertising, Sony has.
It's not a conspiracy, it's advertising dollars.
It's not a conspiracy, it's advertising dollars.
yep. they want to use the Apple hardware, but since they're not getting ad revenue for it, the logo is covered.
the bbc isn't permitted to take ad revenue. i have seen that they use a macbook pro a lot in dr who and the apple logo is covered with a sticker. probably because it's so prominent on the lid as opposed the sony logo the OP mentions.
Interesting. Regarding Spooks that was mentioned before, here's an article from 2005 about them being required to start covering the logo, just a short blurb: http://www.brandrepublic.com/login/News/518896/
Edit: Here's another article, and free: http://www.macuser.co.uk/macuser/news/78026/bbc-prunes-back-apple-over-product-placements.html
But it appears as pot luck. Two different shows from Fox, for example, will have different policies (24 and Numb3rs being the two I'm thinking of).
What? The BBC is the most pro-Apple news site I've ever seen. They cover just about every Apple product introduction. They're also fairly anti-Microsoft. For years, they've covered every virus outbreak and Windows security flaw. (it's my favourite source for news items demonstrating how unsecure Windows is)
That's why I was shocked to hear of BBC's deal with Microsoft to provide video content that was Windows-only. (until people complained and they had to make it more open)
Back in the 70's and 80's, TV shows couldn't have any product placement. Take a look at "Three's Company" and the box of cereal on the table just says "Cereal". Cans of beer are labelled "Beer". I watched an episode of "Sledge Hammer" where there's an Amiga 1000 and they have all the logos blurred out.
(OK, I suppose Magnum's Ferrari is product placement
)
What? I've never seen them cover up the Apple logo. Spooks, Doctor Who, some little show set in the future where a 17" PowerBook held some secrets ('spose it was the most futuristic looking laptop of the day). They all seem to show the logo!
Them house shows too, I'm sure I've seen Apple logos.
Newspapers and advertisements in such stick in Apple computers everywhere too. There was an article in the Daily Mail recently that showed a MBP keyboard with the "clover" key in full view
Them house shows too, I'm sure I've seen Apple logos.
Newspapers and advertisements in such stick in Apple computers everywhere too. There was an article in the Daily Mail recently that showed a MBP keyboard with the "clover" key in full view
In fairness to the BBC, when it announced this service to be rolled out, it said that a Mac-friendly solution was in the pipeline but would take time as OS X is a "propriety" system... unlike Microsoft's OS presumably.
As I said in the thread about the BBC/EC/Apple story, it sucks but it's hardly the first organisation that have told Mac users to wait - although you could be right about pressure put onto the Beeb. As pointed out in the other thread by someone else, the system used for this type of service by C4 is Windows only.... whether that will change remains to be seen.
If Apple has been a bit more helpful to the Beeb when it was offering streamed video/audio content in QT a few years ago, things might be a bit different now - from what I heard, more than a few execs were livid at Apple's high-handed unhelpful attitude leading to a few burned bridges although QT is used well within the BBC.
As to how pro/anti-Apple the BBC news site is, I would say its coverage isn't very good overall. Normally it's fairly positive, it does like running scare stories (e.g. exploding batteries, DRM-free iTunes issues) which its staff lack expertise to judge the merits of correctly (although I would say that's applicable to most of its technology stories). Also, more than one or two of the experts, lack expertise frankly - still at least Bill Thompson doesn't write a regular column anymore!
Brand placement.
Usually the show gets the equipment for free and on top of that an ad fee and they will show the logos.
Equipment that they had to pay for and possibly the company won't pay for the "ad space" the logos get covered.
Was sort of creepy. This guy I met who was a student in photography, I was trying to catch the equipment he had, but he had covered up the brandname. He said that since "Nikon" didn't give him the equipment and they are not sponsoring him, he has covered up the logo/brandname.
Creeeeeeeepy.....
I can see a studio doing it due to a show's exposure, but a person?
That's just weird. I suspect they try and cover up any logos they notice, but the ones they miss slip through, the Apple logo is really obvious.
Showing the Sony logo is like using Internet Explorer or Safari in a TV show