The Voice judge Will.i.am breaks BBC no-ads guidelines by answering Cheryl Cole’s call on his smart watch

Will.iam has caused a stir at the BBC by answering a call from Cheryl Cole live on The Voice despite the broadcaster’s strict product placement ban
Kitty Knowles8 April 2014
The Weekender

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Will.iam has caused a stir at the BBC by answering a call from Cheryl Cole live on The Voice despite the broadcaster’s strict product placement ban.

The talent show judge plans to launch his own smartwatch in July and appeared to be plugging the wrist-worn device on Saturday’s show.

A BBC source told The Sun: "No one was more surprised than the producers when Will started talking on his watch phone. It's not something we would agree with, but it just happened."

The ex-Girls Allowed singer, Cheryl Cole, made the call to congratulate Will after his apprentice, 19-year-old contestant Jermain Jackman, sang a winning version of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball.

Although the BBC’s ban on product placements on commercial channels was lifted in 2011, it is still prohibited from promoting branded merchandise.

The 39-year-old rapper recently explained his tech-savvy product on Alan Carr's ChattyMan: "It takes my heartbeat, my calorie burn, you can make purchases from it. I started the company and funded it and used my own money to develop it.”

While Will’s use of his smartwatch appears to be in breach of BBC guidelines, it appears that "no one has complained".

The judge has, however, been caught out for self-promotion on The Voice in the past. He was not allowed to wear a jacket emblazoned with the line 'Go Hard Or Go Home' after complaints alleged he was plugging his 2011 single T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever).

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