The British TV phone-in voting scandal

This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.

In 2007, investigations showed that several British television programs had deceived the public in phone-in votes and competitions: paid calls were accepted after voting had closed, winners were chosen by the production team and, in some cases, contestants favored by producers were kept on air against the real result.

ITV was fined 5.68 million pounds by the regulator Ofcom, and GMTV 2 million; shows were canceled and executives left the broadcasters. The episode changed the transparency rules for TV voting in the United Kingdom.

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_British_premium-rate_phone-in_scandal