By David Furness

Overview

On Saturday (18/10/2025), I watched a live Premier League Football game (Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea) on the TNT Sports Channel.

After watching the match, I immediately made a complaint to Ofcom.

Ofcom

Ofcom regulates the communication services we use daily, including TV, radio, broadband, and phone services.

Section 319 of the Communications Act 2003 is the legal basis for OFCOM’s standards code, which sets out the rules for television and radio content in the UK. Subsection 2L states that:

There is no use of techniques which exploit the possibility of conveying a message to viewers or listeners, or of otherwise influencing their minds, without their being aware, or fully aware, of what has occurred.

TNT Sports used such a technique throughout the entire game.

Ofcom can impose sanctions which may include:

  • A direction not to repeat content.
  • A direction to broadcast a correction or a statement of Ofcom’s finding.
  • Financial penalties.

My complaint to Ofcom

Throughout the match, messages were displayed on the screen. The message read, “No Room for Racism,” and it appeared every time there was a break in the action, such as during corners, free kicks, or when the ball went out of play.

The message was subliminal, lasting no more than one second each time. At times, it was repeated every ten seconds. I counted the message at least 50 times during the match, but it might have appeared even more often because I lost track. It was overwhelming.

I managed to take a photo of the message, but it was difficult because the message flashed on the screen and disappeared before I could press the button on my camera. As a result, I had to repeatedly press the camera button, hoping to capture the ‘No Room for Racism’ advert. After taking over 100 photos, I finally succeeded.

Before kick-off, there was a presentation titled ‘No Room for Racism,’ and the players displayed the message on their shirts. However, flashing it on the screen subliminally throughout the entire match is deceptive and inappropriate.

A live football match on TNT Sports is not free. Most subscribers prefer to watch these matches without any advertisements disrupting their viewing experience. Imagine if an ad for a political party, like ‘Vote Labour,’ appeared on the screen over 50 times during the game.

The deceptive technique used by TNT Sports meant that many viewers might not have been fully aware of what was occurring, breaching Section 319 of the Communications Act 2003.

A few hours after watching the match, I tuned in to another football game (Fulham vs Arsenal) on a different channel, Sky Sports. Unlike the previous game, this one didn’t have a constant message flashing up on the screen, which made for a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

Therefore, this method of deceptive advertising is not compulsory for every live Premier League football game. So, why did the TNT Sports channel do this?

Go Woke, Go Broke

I await Ofcom’s response.

Meanwhile, there is something that can be done. If people disagree with TNT Sport’s wokeness, they can cancel their subscription.

Go Woke, Go Broke!

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