The Daily Mail reported today that British television and radio channels can now have corporate sponsors of their entire channels.
For some this may not seem significant, but Britain has had regulations in place for over 50 years which didn't allow that to happen.
"The rule change means channels such as ITV1, Bravo or Capital Radio can, in theory, be sponsored by brands such as Coca Cola (KO) or Sony (SNE). Broadcasting regulator Ofcom announced the move, designed to 
free up more revenue possibilities in a world where "on demand" TV and radio means the value of traditional advertising breaks is being undermined. But the new rules contain strict provisos, including that a channel cannot rename itself after a commercial product."
In reference to the last statement, someone like General Motors (GM) couldn't come in and call it the General Motors TV channel, but they could present it as "Bravo" brought to you by GM.
Other controls included in the deal were that news and children's channels couldn't be sponsored by gambling or alcohol companies.
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