Clearcast

Clearcast is an NGO which pre-approves most British television advertising. It came into being on 1 January 2008 and took over the responsibilities of the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre. Clearcast is now owned by six UK commercial broadcasters: ITV, ITV Breakfast Ltd., Channel 4, Channel Five (UK), British Sky Broadcasting and Turner.

Clearcast approval is applied both to scripts and to the final commercials. Clearcast has to check that commercials comply with the BCAP code (rules) that applies to television advertising. These include both good taste and decency criteria, and also a variety of technical and even medical constraints (advertisements may not, for example, contain flashing which would set off attacks of photosensitive epilepsy).

The Managing Director of Clearcast is Chris Mundy. The current Chairman is Mark White.

The Copy Clearance Process

Advertising agencies submit pre-production scripts before any significant expense is incurred in the production of a TV commercial to Clearcast. Once submitted the agencies allocated Copy Group Executive will give initial comments on the script detailing broadcast timing restrictions, advice on appropriate use of specific shots or imagery and requesting substantiation. Substantiation must be submitted where a claim is made in a Broadcast commercial. An agency will then either adapt the script (because it does not comply or contains a claim which cannot be 'backed up') and submit relevant substantiation documents to the Clearcast executive.