Children's TV show under spotlight

Swap Team is made by Granda, which backs the SwapitShop website

Children's programme Swap Team is being investigated by TV watchdogs over concerns it is unfairly promoting a commercial website.

The Saturday morning game show, made by Granada for ITV, lets children compete for "swapits", a fictional currency which can be traded for prizes at the end of the programme.

Swap Team and SwapitShop are two entirely separate ventures

Granada spokeswoman

The show's website links to a site, SwapitShop, which is backed by Granada, where users can trade credits, also called "swapits", for actual products.

The programme makers deny that this is giving "undue prominence... to a commercial product or service" which is forbidden by the Independent Television Commission (ITC).

A spokeswoman for the ITC told BBC News Online: "We will look at the programme and at the issue of undue prominence."

She added: "We have not had any complaints about it yet. But it has been drawn to our attention."

The ITC monitors ITV and strictly controls how commercial products are displayed on ITV programmes.

Confusion

This week Granada was criticised by the ITC for referring to a spin-off book within an episode of its soap Coronation Street.

A spokeswoman for the broadcaster said: "Swap Team and SwapitShop are two entirely separate ventures and experiences.

"There is no mention in the Swap Team programme of SwapitShop."

The spokeswoman added that the link between the programme's website and the SwapitShop website was permitted under ITC rules.

The issue, said the ITC spokeswoman, would be if the public were to make a link between the programme and the commercial service.

The use of the term 'swapits' in the programme will undoubtedly be examined by the ITC.

There also appears to be a measure of confusion from the programme makers about the show and the website.

When contacted by BBC News Online, staff at Granada referred to the programme on more than one occasion as Swapit and not Swap Team.

The ITC rules state: "No undue prominence may be given in any programme to a commercial product or service.

"In particular, any reference to such a product or service must be limited to what can clearly be justified by the editorial requirements of the programme itself."