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The ban will impact on events such as Sports Personality of the Year, which has in the past been endorsed by drinks brand Robinsons, and Proms in the Park, sponsored by National Savings & Investments.

The BBC had found previously that sponsorship of Sports Personality of the Year, which had attracted complaints from ITV and RadioCentre, had breached editorial guidelines.

Today's decision by the BBC Trust follows the announcement from the BBC Executive that it would ban commercial sponsorship. It believes the new guidelines, which make three broad points, will offer programme makers more clarity. These are:

1) All permitted sponsorship of events should further the BBC's public purposes and should not give the impression that a BBC programme has been sponsored.

2) Commercial sponsorship of BBC on-air events will not continue, although non-commercial sponsorship of on-air events can continue, subject to the new policy and guidance (these include charities, trusts, foundations, local authorities and regional development agencies).

3) Off-air BBC events can be commercially sponsored, but are nevertheless subject to the BBC's editorial guidelines.

The BBC said it will not sign any new contracts or renew existing contracts for sponsorship of BBC on-air events by commercial bodies.

While non-commercial sponsors for BBC on-air events are permitted, religious bodies, political organisations and foreign governments are banned from sponsoring BBC events.

Richard Tait, BBC Trustee and chair of the Trust's editorial standards committee, said: "Sponsorship has a place at the BBC - it can bring important events into licence fee payers' lives - but producers need to have a very clear understanding about when and how such  sponsorship  may be accepted in support of the BBC's public purposes. That's what we have set out today."