Companies will seek a meeting to propose an alternative solution after Fernando Haddad announced that advertising for betting houses will be maximally restricted.
Brazil.- At least three of the five largest television broadcasters in Brazil expressed their concern about the statement by the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, to maximally restrict gambling advertising on free-to-air television programs. Record, Band, and RedeTV!, which have several deals with betting houses, showed their disagreement with the possibility of advancing changes.
According to information released by Folha, the companies let it be known that they expect to be called to discuss this issue with the government in a meeting where they can express and propose their stance.
Record, owned by Edir Macedo, has Betano, a betting house that has been in Brazil since 2019, as one of its top five advertisers, with agreements for programs like A Fazenda 16 and football broadcasts.
Meanwhile, executives from Band and RedeTV! stated that it will be difficult to make sports broadcasts financially viable without the investment from betting houses. They say that currently only these companies pay amounts that allow them to benefit from the broadcasting rights of the matches.
Globo has been observing the movement cautiously and awaits the next steps of the government. The country's largest broadcaster has betting houses as advertisers. They sponsor, for example, matches of the Brazilian Championship and reality shows, like Big Brother Brazil. The reason for Globo's caution is the data on the participation of these companies in the market. A study shows that, contrary to what might be imagined, they still occupy little space on television broadcasters, except during sports-related moments.
Conducted by the advertising campaign tracking platform Tunad, the study shows that bets accounted for 3 percent of the advertisements made in commercials on Brazilian free-to-air television. The research includes commercials on Globo, Record, SBT, Band, TV Cultura, and RedeTV! between January and July of this year. The figure increases considerably if only the breaks of sports programs or events are considered, reaching 30 percent of the commercial breaks in July.
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Minister Fernando Haddad stated that it is urgent to take measures to restrict the advertising of sports betting houses. The issue was discussed in a meeting with representatives of Conar (Advertising Self-Regulation Council), Abert (Brazilian Association of Radio and Television), and AIR (International Association of Broadcasting). "We understand that it is urgent to take measures to prevent this harassment on television and in the media," said Haddad.
