10. Jointly run competitions with third parties
Any proposal to run a jointly organised competition must be referred to Editorial Policy.
The BBC may run competitions in conjunction with suitable third parties, such as arts institutions and professional bodies. Normally we would not run competitions with a commercial organisation. However there may be exceptions for very strong editorial reasons, for example we might join with a publication to run a competition to recognise particular creative skill such as short story writing.
Whether the competition is to be run on or off air, we must ensure that the third party is a suitable partner. If we accept any donated prize, or offer any opportunity, which involves third party funding, it is essential that its acceptance does not call into question the BBC’s editorial integrity, objectivity or independence. See also BBC Editorial Guidelines, Section 14 – External Relationships, Public Value Partnerships.
The BBC and the third party may jointly fund the competition with the BBC paying a substantial part of the costs. But no money from the third party should flow into any programme budget or be used to pay for any production or broadcast costs. Referral must be made at an early stage to Cheif Adviser.
10.1 Participation in Third Party Award / Competition
If viewers or listeners are being offered the chance to vote for a third party award e.g. a category of The Brits, see BBC Detailed Guidance on Mounting and Running an Award
The BBC and the third party may jointly decide how the competition is run and the winner chosen. The third party must not be responsible for choosing the winner.
In some cases third parties may wish to run their own entry route, in addition to the BBC method of entry. For example they may wish people to be able to enter on their own site as well as via bbc.co.uk. This may be possible but needs very careful handling. In most cases we should ensure people enter only via BBC entry route. Should third party insist entry must also be via the third party route – referral must be made to Editorial Policy and ITACU well before any agreements are reached. The BBC must be satisfied that the third party entry mechanism is robust and fits with the terms and conditions. The BBC must make sure there is appropriate supervision of the collation of entries from different entry points to ensure the end result is totally fair, and that all correct entries have an equal chance of being selected.
Usually there will need to be a contract or an agreement to establish clearly how the partnership will work, and how the responsibilities for running and administering the competition will be allocated between the partners. ITACU Legal and Business will advice on all contractual matters.
All communications around the competition will need to have BBC approval e.g. all third party marketing material which refers to the BBC or its programmes or services.
We should not promote any competition which has not been organised by or run in conjunction with the BBC. To that end we must not “brand slap” i.e. simply lend our name to someone else's competition. The BBC must be editorially involved in the set up and running of the competition and ensure it meets BBC standards.