Chinese authorities ban 55 TV ads

BEIJING - China's top broadcasting watchdog has ordered a broadcast ban for 55 advertisements for consultation and TV shopping services, as they have violated relevant regulations.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) on Monday released a circular saying that advertisements that were recently broadcast during some TV programs have violated SARFT regulations, although details concerning which stations the ads were broadcasted on were not revealed.

Among the banned ads is a watch advertisement that uses the name of former Chairman Mao Zedong, violating a SARFT regulation that forbids the use of state leaders' names in advertisements.

Other ads for dieting solutions and breast enlargement were banned for false or misleading content.

Creators of televised shopping programs have been criticized for fraudulent practices, including the sale of shoddy products.

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