Check the terms and conditions before entering a TV competition or poll by text to ensure you won’t be charged.
That’s the message from mobile phone operators after it emerged certain broadcasters don’t accept text entries to competition or polls from viewers in the Isle of Man.
A spokesman for Channel 5, which is one broadcaster that doesn’t accept competition entries from any of the Crown Dependencies, explained it is all about cost.
He said: ‘Channel 5 – in line with most other UK broadcasters – doesn’t allow Isle of Man and Channel Islands competition entrants and poll voters to participate via text, because the mobile network operators would classify these as international calls, and so it would be cost-prohibitive.
‘I’m advised the technical set up costs between each UK mobile network and Manx Telecom would far exceed any revenue we would make from Isle of Man entrants. I believe it would also be much more expensive for participants from the Isle of Man as well.’
The same restriction applies to Channel 4. A spokesman said: ‘This is made clear in our terms and conditions. Residents in Isle of Man and Channel Islands are able to enter competitions via the 090 number or postal/web.’
Sarah Jarvis, marketing and PR manager at Sure in the Isle of Man, said: ‘If a Sure customer enters a competition via text message that is not open to Isle of Man residents it is very likely that the competition organiser won’t be set up to receive entries from Manx mobile numbers so the text message should fail to send and the customer should not be charged.
‘If a text message is successfully sent for a competition or poll that is not open to Isle of Man residents, but the organiser has not excluded Manx mobile numbers from entering, the maximum amount Sure customers will be charged is the standard SMS rate of 18p (including VAT) per text.
‘Sure advises all customers to check the terms and conditions of text message competitions and text message polls before entering to ensure they are open to Isle of Man residents.’
David Smith, Manx Telecom marketing director, said: ‘Unfortunately, many competitions and polls organised by UK media do not accept entries from Isle of Man residents and this should always be made clear in terms and conditions.
‘We want to make it clear that none of Manx Telecom’s mobile customers are charged if they attempt to send text messages to take part in events which do not allow entries from Isle of Man residents.
‘The rules and regulations for text competitions and polls are set in conjunction with specialist “aggregators” which are companies contracted by UK media specifically for this purpose. It is our understanding that some aggregators may not consider it economically viable to establish a premium text and billing capability from the Isle of Man or Channel Islands, due to the likely volume of entrants as opposed to the individual rates.
‘However, due to demand from our customers, we have often taken steps to work proactively with UK media and aggregators to ensure they can participate in high profile UK events – for example, donating funds via text message to the BBC Children In Need appeal, and voting in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.’
Carmel McLaughlin, director of the island’s Communications Commission, said: ‘Ofcom regulates Channel 5 and all UK broadcaster’s use of competitions/voting.
‘ITV and BBC generally include the Isle of Man but ultimately for companies like Channel 5 it is a commercial/marketing decision whether or not to include the Isle of Man or Channel Islands.’
She said that from July it will be clearer how costs for making premium rates calls to TV programmes are split.