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Guidance: Public Service Off-Air Events

Editorial Guidelines issues

This guidance note relates to the following Editorial Guidelines:

  • External Relationships and Financing

See Editorial Guidelines Section 16 External Relationships and Financing

Key points

  • Sponsorship arrangements must never give the impression that a BBC programme, platform or service is being sponsored
  • The choice of the sponsor should not undermine the BBC's integrity and independence and should not bring the BBC into disrepute
  • Sponsored events should only be mounted where there is a strong justification as to why the event would not be possible without the support of sponsorship
  • Any credits at the event or in related publicity material must make it clear that it is the event itself which has been sponsored and not give the audience reason to believe that any BBC programme or service has been sponsored
  • We aim to credit fairly the enabling role of sponsors and any credits given should avoid being promotional
  • News and Current Affairs off-air events and events based on BBC consumer programmes dealing with a range of topics must not be sponsored
  • The event must always remain under the BBC's editorial control and the sponsor must not influence its editorial content, or that of any associated BBC programme or service 
  • In general BBC off-air events, even those not related to specific individual programmes should not be sponsored by an organisation which is directly connected with the subject of the event 
  • The choice of sponsor must not lead to any doubt about the objectivity of the event
  • The editorial remit of the event or any related activity must not be changed because it clashes with the sponsor's agenda 
  • The event must not become a vehicle for promoting the sponsor or its activities 
  • Contracts should highlight the relevant sections of this guidance to indicate the limitations of the BBC's policy on credits.

Guidance in full

Suitable Sponsors for BBC Off-Air Events and Activities

Where approval has been given, sponsorship may be taken from suitable non-commercial bodies such as:

  • Charities
  • trusts and foundations
  • local authorities such as city or regional councils
  • regional development agencies
  • appropriate government bodies and government sponsored agencies
  • publicly funded educational institutions
  • other suitable public institutions

The following are not suitable sponsors for any BBC public service off-air event:

  • Religious bodies, political organisations/pressure groups or lobby groups
  • Tobacco manufacturers or E-Cigarette manufacturers or companies who are primarily known as tobacco manufacturers or E-cigarette manufacturers, but also produce other goods
  • Suppliers of pornography; marriage, escort or introduction agencies  
  • Gun clubs or manufacturers or retailers of guns or weapons 
  • Organisations concerned with gambling, betting or giving betting tips
  • Organisations involved with promotion of the occult

Sponsorship Requiring Special Care

There are some other areas where particularly sensitive decisions need to be made and any proposals to accept sponsorship such cases require very early consultation with Editorial Policy:

  • Sponsorship for an event connected with BBC Religious output
  • Sponsorship by manufacturers of alcoholic beverages. No such sponsorship may be accepted for an event that is particularly likely to appeal to children or likely to attract a significant audience aged under 18; special care should be taken with any events held during school holidays.  
  • In certain limited circumstances some sponsorship may be taken from a government body. However great care must be taken to ensure it does not imply that the BBC supports any particular political cause. No party political or government initiative may be launched at a BBC event
  • Charities; care must be taken with any sponsorship by a charity to ensure the event does not become a vehicle to promote the charity  itself or its activities or act as a fundraising platform
  • Sponsors whose main business is the manufacture and design of pharmaceutical products.
  • Family planning organisations

The suitability of all sponsors must be approved in advance by Editorial Policy.

Product Sponsorship

Product sponsorship is defined as sponsorship connected with a particular product made by the sponsor or a particular retail or consumer service run by the sponsor

Product sponsorship is not acceptable as the overall event sponsor of BBC off-air events connected to licence fee funded services. Any use of product sponsorship of areas within the event will require special care

No products may be launched at a BBC public service off-air event

Sponsorship of BBC Off-Air Events by Commercial Organisations

In limited cases it may be possible to seek sponsorship from commercial organisations to support the mounting of a BBC Public Service off-air event.  Advice must be sought at a very early stage from Editorial Policy and the relevant Director. Where proposals are deemed acceptable the following will apply:

  • No sponsor may sponsor a BBC off-air event, if there is a BBC programme associated with that event that would have cause to feature or review the sponsor's goods or services
  • In general BBC off-air events, even those not related to specific individual programmes, should not be sponsored by an organisation which is directly connected with the subject of the event.

Securing Sponsorship for BBC Off-Air Events and Activities

Any proposal for sponsorship of a BBC off-air event must be referred, well in advance, to Editorial Policy and the relevant Head of Department responsible for the activity.

Usually there may be only one overall event sponsor for a BBC off-air event.

In some cases an individual activity or stand at an event may be sponsored either by the overall event sponsor or another suitable organisation.

The BBC may make information available as appropriate to relevant organisations about the relatively small number of BBC off-air events eligible for sponsorship and make explicit the limitations imposed by this guidance.  

Compliance with the BBC’s Market Impact duty

The BBC's activities may have impacts on competition in the markets in which they operate. Under the Charter, the BBC must “seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and promotion of the Public Purposes”. The BBC also has a general Market Impact duty to “have particular regard to the effects of its activities on competition in the United Kingdom”.  With regard to sponsorship of BBC off-air events connected to licence-fee funded services this will require for example: 

  • Quarterly Monitoring by the Fair Trading Committee of the level of sponsorship revenue generated by the BBC – Quarterly Monitoring by the Fair Trading Committee of the level of sponsorship revenue generated by the BBC
  • Compliance with the guidance contained in this document
  • Endeavouring to obtain a market rate for the sponsorship opportunities it offers. For example this could involve making approaches to and encouraging offers from a number of potential sponsors, always subject to the BBC's obligation to accept only a proportion of the costs of mounting the event in question

Further advice may be sought from Chris Rowsell, Head of Regulation, BBC Policy.

Financial Arrangements for BBC Off-Air Event Sponsorship

A BBC Public Service off-air event may be sponsored, in accordance with this guidance. However no programme/content on a BBC public service channel or platform may be sponsored. No money from a sponsor may go into any BBC content or production budget.

Sponsorship monies may only be used to defray costs of the event itself. Event costs will include elements such as:

  • security at the event
  • seating
  • ticketing
  • the hire of the venue
  • hospitality
  • transport
  • toilet facilities
  • audience information services
  • refreshments
  • stands and demonstration areas
  • additional staging required because the public is attending, including screens at the venue for the event audience.

All sponsorship arrangements must stand up to scrutiny and be clearly auditable:

  • Clear accounts must be drawn up which clearly delineate event costs
  • These must demonstrate that any sponsorship money raised has only gone into the event and not into any production area
  • Accounts for all BBC sponsored off-air events must be signed off by the Finance Director for the relevant Division responsible for mounting the event.

Contractual Arrangements

Sponsorship of Public Service BBC off-air events must be subject to clear contracts which need to ensure that all arrangements are in accordance with the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and this detailed guidance. The relevant Business Affairs Manager in the Division responsible for the event must discuss all contractual arrangements with Editorial Policy, who may also consult BBC Policy (Fair Trading) where appropriate.

It is inadvisable to enter into very long term deals which do not have a break or review provision. The maximum length of a sponsor deal for an individual BBC Public Service off-air event is likely to be three years. It is also inadvisable for the BBC to contract with the same overall sponsor for several unrelated off-air events in any one year, as this could lead to a perception of BBC endorsement of the sponsor. Any proposed exception should be referred to Editorial Policy and BBC Policy (Fair Trading).

Sponsors must have no editorial influence over the event; this must be clear in the contract.

There must be contractual stipulations that all sponsor publicity material connected to the event must be submitted to the BBC for prior approval and must not be issued without such approval.  Any reference to the BBC or the event or activities associated with the event on the sponsor's website or social media must also be referred to the BBC for prior approval.

Sponsors may have tickets to the event as part of the sponsorship arrangement however these cannot be used for a commercial purpose. They may also in some cases have their own hospitality arrangements such as a reception or VIP area. Such arrangements must be approved by Editorial Policy and must not imply BBC endorsement of the sponsor.

The Title of the Event

The sponsor's name, logo or slogan must not appear in the title of the BBC off-air event.

However, there may be some appropriate signage at the event and verbal credits for example during an opening speech, where we might acknowledge the sponsor's support in a non-promotional manner; for a BBC public service event we would usually state that the mounting of the event has been "supported by x" rather than "sponsored by" .

Sponsor Signage at the Event

Discreet signage showing the sponsor's logo may be acceptable at the event. The following conditions will apply:

  • Some signage at the event may indicate that the event has been supported by a sponsor.  All reasonable efforts must be taken to ensure there is no undue prominence for the sponsor signage
  • All reflections of sponsorship at an event must be discussed well in advance with Editorial Policy
  • Sponsor signage or the sponsor logo be less prominent that the BBC event logo
  • Sponsor signage must not detract from the activity being staged
  • Signage should never incorporate sponsor slogans or  promotional messages
  • Any signage referring to the sponsor should usually incorporate the words "event supported by" to explain to the audience at the event the rationale for the sponsor reflections
  • Those responsible for overseeing the staging or set for a BBC sponsored event should take care to ensure that the colours, typeface and any other key design elements of the staging do not reflect sponsor branding and/or logos

Signage at Workshops, Masterclasses and Other External Events

The appropriateness of signage will often depend on the type and nature of event which is being mounted and whether it is in an enclosed or outdoor venue. There may be some signage reflecting the sponsorship of the event for example at:

  • The entrance foyer
  • On side screens, such as monitors used for the audience at the event
  • In backstage areas such as VIP lounges
  • Discreet sponsor signage might be acceptable on the top or bottom edges of an event stage, depending on the stage design; or in other areas such as side screens, light boxes at the sides of the stage, on flags, towers, or in perimeter branding. Such signage must not be prominent and must not detract from the main action.

It may be possible for sponsors to put messages about their support of the event on to screens at the event, as long as these messages are pre-approved by the BBC and are played out in downtime before and/or after the event is covered on air.

Online Sponsor Credits

A BBC off-air event cannot be covered online e.g. through web cams, streaming etc. However in some cases there may be a BBC webpage connected to the event which may give general background information such as how to obtain tickets, travel arrangements etc.

There can be no online credits for a commercial sponsor on BBC webpages.

Non-commercial sponsors of BBC off-air events may be credited in a non-promotional way within the text, in order to appropriately acknowledge the enabling role of their support. Any such acknowledgment must always be at the editorial discretion of the BBC and there should be no more than one reference to the sponsor on any page.

If it is deemed appropriate to have such an editorial acknowledgment, it must be in the same text as the rest of the site. There must be no use of sponsor logos. Any reference to the sponsor must make it clear that it is the event that is sponsored and no impression should be given that the BBC page is being sponsored or that there is any sponsorship of a BBC programme or broadcast. There should be no link from this BBC site or page to the sponsor's website.

Off-Air Sponsor Signage on Clothing

BBC staff, presenters, artists or contributors to the BBC of-air event must never wear sponsor signage on their clothing.

Sponsor Giveaways and Sponsor stands and areas

In some cases it may be appropriate for the sponsor to be able to give away some mementos and sampling experiences to the audiences at BBC events, particularly at outdoor concerts. However, the BBC must pre-approve any giveaways, to ensure they are appropriate. The sponsor should not give away any branded clothing or branded equipment for use at the event (e.g. hats, binoculars etc) without the BBC's prior approval. In many cases it will not be appropriate as this could lead to extra sponsor branding being evident amongst the crowd.  It may be possible to distribute such giveaways as audiences are leaving the event.

Often such giveaways are done in special sponsor stands or sections such as VIP areas. The BBC Executive in charge of the event must approve all such signage and design of areas in consultation with Editorial Policy

Off-Air Marketing and Publicity

It is essential that any promotional activity carried out by a sponsor, as part of its support for BBC off-air events should:

  • Promote the event which it is supporting and not the sponsor or their goods/services
  • Not suggest that the sponsor is putting on the event
  • Not suggest endorsement by the BBC of the sponsor, its goods, or services.

All off-air promotional activity proposed by the sponsor should be cleared by the Executive in charge of the event who will consult with Editorial Policy, where appropriate.

Sponsors may pay for produce and distribute publicity material related to the event, which reflects their sponsorship. All such material must be referred to the BBC well in advance for approval. This is particularly important in relation to any material to be distributed on social media.

It is not acceptable for the sponsor to take out advertisements on any broadcast media to publicise its sponsorship of a BBC off-air event; any advertisements or promotions in the press should be subject to BBC prior approval and submitted well in advance for consideration by the BBC.

Sponsors may wish to take out press advertisements in newspapers and magazines; such advertisements must only advertise the event and not the sponsor or its services. All such advertisements must be cleared in advance by the BBC.

All reflections on the sponsor’s social media promotions, must be referred to the BBC well in advance.

In addition:

  • On any posters, leaflets or printed material produced by sponsors, it is important that the BBC's brand, or any programme title is kept separate from the sponsor's brand.
  •  Any use of the sponsor's name or logo should be accompanied by appropriate wording to explain its presence e.g. "supported by".
  • Sponsor reflections may be included in printed programmes and on event tickets.
  •  All BBC press releases or press materials relating to a sponsored BBC event must be cleared by the BBC Press Office in advance of distribution. A simple factual non promotional reference to the sponsor would be acceptable.
  • Reference to sponsor websites, products and services and any quotations which could be deemed to endorse the sponsor will not be acceptable.

The BBC does not promote all of its activities and  the decision as to how to promote any event must be at the  BBC's sole discretion and based on editorial criteria. No guarantees on the extent of BBC promotional activities should be given to a sponsor.

Publicity about BBC events must not be part of a sponsor's direct marketing campaign e.g. general publicity material about the BBC event may be included in information sent out to existing members of a sponsor organisation but the BBC event cannot be used by a sponsor directly to attract new interest.

Sponsor Competitions

A sponsor may wish to run a competition to publicise their connection with a BBC off-air event. For example they may wish to offer tickets to the event.

All such competitions must have prior BBC approval and meet the following criteria:

  • Sponsor run competitions must not suggest BBC endorsement of the sponsor or its services.
  • The BBC cannot promote a sponsor competition on air or refer to it on air in any way.
  • The competition must be run in an appropriate manner and must not bring the BBC into disrepute.
  • It must not be run with the aim of making a profit for the sponsor or its partners (e.g. a newspaper).
  • Sponsor competitions connected to BBC events must not be used for data collection by the sponsor or it partners or as a means of direct recruitment or for fundraising.
  • No sponsor competition connected to a BBC event may use Premium Rate Telephony.
  • It may be possible for sponsors to run appropriate competitions or activities in down time at BBC events. However, such activities must not suggest the sponsor is involved in the running of the events or that the BBC endorses the sponsor organisation. Such sponsor activities at an event must not be presented by BBC staff or presenters.

Last updated July 2019

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