Soap bosses have reportedly told their Corrie and Emmerdale stars not to flog certain products on their social media platforms like Instagram.
ITV have told the Corrie and Emmerdale actors that they cannot advertise any products that might harm the company’s public reputation – such as cosmetic surgery and diet products.
Other ‘banned’ products include tobacco, vaping, financial products, “adult entertainment”, and gambling.
The new move means ITV’s soap stars can post paid advertisements, but they’ll have to get their producers’ “blessing”, according to The Sun.
The new rules apparently have been put in place in a bid to prevent actors quitting their shows as they can get paid more money from promoting products online.
(Image: Getty Images)
A TV insider told The Sun: “Stars like former Corrie actor Helen Flanaganare inundated with opportunities to promote products on platforms including Instagram.
“And earnings can often dwarf any salary actors get paid on the soaps, meaning it can be more lucrative to leave the shows to effectively sell goods.”
While many celebs – including Helen – will not accept all deals they receive, ITV bosses thought it better to clarify which ads are not accepted.
They said that the list has previously been a grey area, so bosses spelled it out in black and white.
(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Corrie and Emmerdale stars have been told that they cannot use their flagship soaps to promote the products, and they can’t use the Corrie or Emmerdale sets as a backdrop in any adverts.
They have also been instructed not to advertise as their famous soap characters and must instead be themselves.
However, if the stars adhere to the rules, they could be set to rake in hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
The broadcaster has just brought the new rules in, and they will review them in three months time.
(Image: Instagram)
They are also keen to ensure that any of their stars’ deals don’t “jeopardise their cash stream with existing advertisers”.
Former Corrie star Helen Flanagan boasts a whopping one million followers on Instagram.
Corrie’s Brooke Vincent has just under 1 million followers, and is one of the stars who would have to follow the new rules.
Daily Star has approached ITV for comment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
