Ads Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I seeing ads, I thought BBC services were paid for by the UK TV licence fee?

This website is built and operated by BBC Studios, a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this website. The profits we make from it, including advertising, go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund new BBC programmes.

I’ve seen an inappropriate ad or want to feedback about ads. Who do I contact?

Although we are distinct from the licence fee funded BBC, BBC Studios does share the same values and we don’t allow advertising that we deem inappropriate to appear on any of our websites. If you have any feedback or concerns about any ads on our site you can contact us via our contact form: https://www.bbcstudios.com/contactwizard

What types of data are collected and why?

To show advertising to you on our services, we use specialist web technologies, such as pixels or code embedded in our web pages and emails and small data files which we store on your device (known as "cookies"). Using these technologies, our advertising systems will automatically record certain data, such as your device's Internet Protocol (IP) Address, its operating system and broad location (e.g. city), your browser type and any cookie IDs stored on your device by our advertising systems. We will also collect information about the adverts you viewed or clicked on, and the web address of the page viewed.  
 
The data collected is not used to identify you personally. We use the data to help us to show adverts that might be relevant to you based on where you’re located, the page you are viewing or your browsing behaviour on our services. The data is also used to measure how you interacted with the adverts shown to you and to limit how many times you are shown a particular advert.
 
Showing adverts that are likely to be more relevant to you enables us to charge more to our advertisers, which in turn improves the quality and volume of the advertising you see. We hope this makes your use of our service more enjoyable.
 
See our Cookies Notice to find out more about the specific technologies used and how advertising is made more relevant to you. You can find the link in the footer of this website.

Will you share my data with any Third Parties?

We use a number of specialist companies to help us to run our services effectively and to provide marketing functionality.  These technology providers use and control cookies on our services, which may be used for their own purposes, including for the purposes of tracking your browsing behaviour across multiple websites.  We undertake checks to ensure that these companies keep your data secure and handle it fairly and responsibly.
Full details on how we use the key technologies running through our services, with links to their privacy policies where you can find out more about what they do with your data can be found on our Cookies Notice page. You can find the link in the footer.
You can manage your preferences for these third-party cookies via the Privacy Preferences link in the footer of this website.

Why am I being asked to provide consent?

In regions like the UK and European Union, website operators are legally required to obtain your explicit and informed consent for the use of non-essential cookies and to use your data to personalise advertising. This is why, when you first visit our services, we will have asked your permission to use cookies and data for a number of purposes, including to personalise advertising. We will automatically refresh this permission every 12 months or sooner if (i) we add new advertising vendors or technology providers to the service, or (ii) you or your browser delete the cookie which stores your preference.

Can I opt-out from advertising?

Advertising helps to fund the development and availability of our services. However, if you do not want your data, such as your cookie ID and browsing behaviour, to be used for personalised advertising on our services, you can opt-out via the Privacy Preferences link in the footer or change your browser settings.
 
If you opt-out or make any changes to your browser settings, you may continue to see adverts but they may be less relevant to you. Some data, such as your IP address, will be used to show you such adverts as well as to measure their effectiveness, to limit how many times they are shown, and to make sure humans, not robots, are seeing the adverts.

I am in California or Virginia, what are my opt out rights?

Some states such as California and Virginia have enacted privacy legislation that provides residents with a right to opt out from the sale of their personal information, or the processing/sharing of data for the purposes of targeted advertising (as defined under Virginia law). We do not sell or share personal information other than as described on this page. You can opt-out as described above.
 
Need more information?
 
For further information on how BBC Studios handle personal data please refer to our Privacy Policy via the footer links below.