It was meant to be a Christmas offer, but it went boomerang. The Antitrust has fined Sky Italia for the "Christmas box" promotion, active between November and December 2010. The fine is 150 thousand euros. According to the Authority's latest bulletin, the advertisements broadcast by satellite TV to promote the initiative were not clear enough about the economic conditions and risked "distorting consumer choices".
Let's start with the TV spot. Next to a nice mole with glasses, writing and voiceover they offered "cinema and more than 60 channels for 29 euros a month and football as a gift". An "ambiguous and misleading" promise, argues the Antitrust. In fact, the contract had an annual duration, while the expiry of the subsidized rent was set for 22 May. After that date, the price would have increased by 38%, shooting up to 47 euros. These data were indicated only in the last frame, superimposed and on a snowy background, with small white characters. All for a total duration of about four seconds. Not to mention the lack of information on other possible costs: installation of the satellite dish (30 euros) and deactivation of the contract (11,44 euros).
The same objections are also raised by the Authority regarding the advertisements published by the company in various national newspapers. Naturally, readers had more time to dwell on the details of the advertisement, but even in this case "the information appeared to be lacking and not adequately brought to the consumers' attention". Again the notes were written in too small a font. I wonder if the bespectacled mole ever managed to read them. (cm)
