BBC fined £400,000 for unfair competitions

The BBC has been fined £400,000 (€508,107) by media regulator Ofcom for faking winners and misleading audiences in viewer and listener competitions.

The penalty, for flagship shows such as Comic Relief, Sport Relief and Children in Need as well as the Jo Whiley and Russell Brand radio shows, is a record for the corporation.

The regulator said: “Ofcom considered that these breaches of the (broadcasting) code were very serious.

“In each of these cases the BBC deceived its audience by faking winners of competitions and deliberately conducting competitions unfairly.”