The publicly-funded British Broadcasting Corp. has been fined $800,000 for deceiving viewers and listeners in TV and radio competitions.
Britain’s media watchdog, the Office of Communications, singled out eight BBC television and radio shows for faking wins and misleading their audiences.
The BBC said it accepted the regulator’s judgment, but noted that it made no money from the violations. The broadcaster said it was already working to fix the problem.
The fine is the latest in a series of punishments meted out to British broadcasters for cheating their audiences in past years.
In May, the office levied a record $11.3 million fine on private broadcaster ITV PLC for repeated abuses of premium rate phone-in promotions and competitions.
Last year, it penalized the BBC for faking the winner of a children’s show competition, and slapped ITV with a $298,000 fine for rigging a phone-in.
