German Product Placement Scandal Costs Jobs–Investigation Continues

Variety and other media report that Bavaria Film admits it engaged in product placement, which is illegal in Germany, even if disclosed. An investigation by Evangelischer Pressedienst (EPD) revealed that covert pitching for products and issues, including Turkish membership in the EU, had been going on for years. Several execs have now been fired and an investigation continues, not only into the activities of Bavaria Film, which is a public entity, but into what may have been going on at Germany’s commercial networks. Read more in Variety here and in Hollywood Reporter here.