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A total of 23 viewers complained about the amount of advertising during the initial screenings of the series on Channel 4 and E4 in August.

The viewers said that there were relatively short programme segments between breaks, and complained about the length of ad breaks and what they saw as the overall disproportionate amount of advertising. Some people also complained that the programme started late and finished early.

Channel 4 argued to Ofcom that its approach to placing the advertising during 'Lost' was to put the ads at appropriate points, in line with the flow of the storyline. This had mean that compliance with break separation requirements had been sacrificed.

It denied that any of the breaks had exceeded three minutes and 50 seconds -- the maximum length of internal ad break allowed on the channel.

Taking into account the number of ads before and after 'Lost', along with programme trailers and sponsor credits, Ofcom said it was "unsurprising" that viewers had an impression of excess commercial material, but noted that Channel 4 had never exceeded the maximum number of minutes of advertising permitted in the space of an hour.

Ofcom found that analysis of the break patterns in the episodes showed that there was a failure to comply with the 20-minute rule, which requires that a period of at least 20 minutes should normally elapse between successive internal breaks in programmes.

It acknowledged that there were complexities in complying with the 20-minute rule and that ads needed to be placed at natural break points.

But in its ruling, Ofcom said: "The country of origin of a series and the peculiarities of drama do not in themselves provide a valid reason for failing to comply with a key requirement of the scheduling rules on a regular basis across an entire series."

It found that the placement of breaks in 'Lost' was in breach of the rules on amount and distribution of advertising.

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