TV4 Fined for Zlatan Video
Sweden’s Broadcasting Authority has fined TV4 200,000 kronor for broadcasting an unauthorized commercial greeting featuring Zlatan Ibrahimović during a World Cup match pre-game show.
The pre-recorded video greeting from Zlatan Ibrahimović to the Swedish national team was shown in the channel’s pre-game show before Sweden’s World Cup match against the Netherlands on Midsummer Day this past summer. The clip already drew attention at that time, and Zlatan Ibrahimović also appears in a new Volvo commercial.
Commercial Connection Cited
The Broadcasting Authority concluded that the broadcast constituted improper commercial promotion. Because Ibrahimović has a documented commercial relationship with the car manufacturer and the identical slogan appeared in both the greeting and the televised ads, the network breached broadcasting rules.
The authority noted that the greeting was made before a highly publicized football match with wide dissemination among the general public. Zlatan Ibrahimović and his son Vincent appear in the Volvo commercial, and the promotional film was shown on two occasions later during the broadcast.
The authority applied to the administrative court to impose the special fee of 200,000 kronor. While penalizing the network for commercial favor, the authority cleared the broadcast regarding direct product placement charges.
TV4 defended the broadcast as a generic message
TV4 defended the broadcast in the summer, stating that the message was generic. Johan Cederqvist, sports director at TV4, told Expressen that the network evaluated the incoming greeting before airing it and believed it could stand behind the content.
Johan Cederqvist also stated that it is unfortunate if it is associated with a commercial message, adding that they thought it was a fairly common and generally phrased message and did not notice that the short part was so consistent since the greeting is long.
He also stated that they made an assessment of the greeting that came in and whether they could stand behind it and have it in their broadcast.
Jan Scherman, a media scholar and former CEO of TV4, strongly criticized the network’s decision in interviews following the broadcast. Scherman told Expressen that the segment landed completely outside the rules and that the network should have recognized Ibrahimović’s commercial ties immediately.
Jan Scherman stated that it is not a borderline case but completely outside the goalpost and that he thinks it is bad, noting that while he can understand that it is hard in the heat of the moment to turn down a fantastic audience-driving statement from Zlatan, Zlatan is a living billboard and they should have turned on the warning lights immediately, which they obviously did not do.
Why TV4 broadcast the Zlatan Ibrahimović video clip
Why did TV4 broadcast the video clip?
The clip was shown during the pre-game show before Sweden’s match against the Netherlands on Midsummer Day, where Zlatan Ibrahimović delivered a blue-and-yellow greeting stating: Hello, Sweden. I want to wish all the players good luck tonight. But above all, I want to thank all the parents and everyone who has been there along the way because no one does this alone. Behind every dream are those who make it possible. They don’t always get the attention but they deserve it. So good luck to Sweden and thank you to everyone who made this possible.
What penalty did the Broadcasting Authority issue?
The authority applied to the administrative court for a special fee of 200,000 kronor against TV4.
What specific phrase triggered the fine?
The phrase “Behind every dream stands those who make it possible” appeared in both Ibrahimović’s televised greeting and a simultaneous Volvo advertisement.
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