Italy regulator ends probe into BAT after company promises to disclose sponsored content
2:52 pm Monday, October 18th, 2021
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s antitrust regulator said on Monday it had closed a probe into undeclared sponsored social media content by the Italian unit of British America Tobacco (BAT) without any penalties.
The regulator in May opened the probe after three influencers who had commercial agreements with BAT invited their Instagram followers to publish content about BAT’s tobacco heating product Glo Hyper without specifying it was advertising..
The watchdog said the company and the influencers committed to providing remedies which ensure a “complete and accurate information about the nature of their communications,” the authority said in a statement.
(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin, editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Cynthia Osterman)
