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Currently, only non-broadcast media have a self-regulation system in place, under the auspices of the Advertising Standards Authority.

The new proposals will extend the ASA's remit to cover TV and radio, replacing the existing system where regulation is handled separately by the Independent Television Commission for TV and the Radio Authority for radio.

ISBA, the Advertising Association and ITV believe the new system will help simplify the complaints procedure for members of the public, which would in turn help increase the level of trust between consumers and broadcast advertising.

ITV managing director Mick Desmond, chief executive designate of broadcast at the merged ITV, said the self regulation of broadcast advertising was the logical place to start for Ofcom, which has a duty under the new Communications Act to look at self regulation.

Desmond said: "Advertising is core to ITV's business as it funds our investment in programmes. We need a regulatory framework that is effective, transparent and, above all, has the full trust of viewers. Having been an active member of the Advertising Association Task Force that devised the architecture of the proposed new system, we are confident this will be the case. Like Ofcom, we believe that the proposal will deliver real benefits for the industry and viewers alike. "

He said ITV would be responding to the consultation "in full".

The self regulation of broadcast advertising was included in the Communications Act at the last minute after hard lobbying by advertising industry bodies, including the Advertising Association and ISBA.

Andrew Brown, director general of the AA, called the current system of dealing with TV and radio ads independently of non-broadcast media such as print "piecemeal" and called for a more pro-active approach.

He said: "Media convergence is creating new challenges for regulating advertising content. The current regulatory framework is piecemeal, dealing with broadcast and non-broadcast advertising separately. The current regulatory system has worked well, but now a pro-active response to the challenges of convergence is required."

Malcolm Earnshaw, director general of ISBA, said winning and maintaining the consumer's trust was "crucial" for the ad industry.

He said: "Consumer confidence in advertising is crucially important. The evidence shows that under the current patchwork of systems, consumers are often confused about which regulator they should contact to address complaints about advertising."

Earnshaw believes there are other benefits to be considered from a single regulator for the entire advertising industry.

"On top of maintaining consumer confidence, there are further benefits of the proposed system for advertisers," he said. "Bringing together under one roof, the code development and administration for broadcast and non-broadcast advertising would inevitably offer opportunities for closer cooperation."

Streamlining of the regulation across non-broadcast advertising and broadcast advertising would also make life easier for advertisers, and reduce the number of complaints.

"Greater cooperation should bring greater consistency in both code development and adjudications and would help reduce uncertainty for advertisers running single campaigns across a range of broadcast and non-broadcast media," Earnshaw said.

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