Alcohol, 'junk' food and gambling are among the sectors facing a blanket ban on using product placement under plans being made by culture secretary Ben Bradshaw.
Originally, the government had proposed banning product placement in children's programming, while giving brands a free rein outside this sector.
However, in a letter to Cabinet colleagues, Bradshaw has called for alcoholic drinks, food high in salt, fat or sugar, gambling, smoking accessories, over-the-counter medicines and baby food to be prohibited from running product placement campaigns.
The new restrictions around product placement before it has even come into force will frustrate some marketers and commercial broadcasters, notably ITV, which had anticipated the undiluted move could generate an additional £140m a year.
The U-turn appears to be in response to pressure from cabinet members such as health secretary Andy Burnham, the previous culture secretary, and environment secretary Hilary Benn.
Burnham was said to have been annoyed that Bradshaw had given product placement the green light, just a year after he had ruled it out during his time at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
A number of organisations, including the British Medical Association, campaign group Sustain and the National Union of Teachers, have also raised concerns about the move.
