• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 9, 2011

As part of the Walt Disney Co., the well-respected ESPN sales operation is no doubt religious in adhering to accepted practices when it comes to alcohol advertising and young people. But the sports network is in business. And it always seemed a bit curious to have Diageo plugging Smirnoff on its popular "Pardon the Interruption" at 5:30 in the afternoon.

The Diageo sponsorship might be in line with the alcohol industry's self-regulatory practice, where it refuses to advertise on programs where the under-21 audience makes up more than 30% of the total viewership. Yet, ESPN has such a passionate young-male audience that plugging vodka before cocktail hour can leave a bad taste.

This is not to pick on ESPN. A recent report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Johns Hopkins does not mention the network. Instead, it indicates that in 2009, other cable networks Comedy Central, BET, E!, FX and Spike -- while in line with the 30% rule - were "more likely to expose youth per capita" to alcohol ads than adults 21 and over.

MTV and VH1, in contrast, offered "little or no" alcohol advertising since 2007, according to CAMY. The two networks have such high concentrations of young viewers that alcohol marketers may not be able to advertise on them anyway - even if the networks were willing to accept their ads.

Looking at TV advertising at large, CAMY says that in 2009, 7.5% of all alcohol ads (23,718 in total) did run on programs, where the under-21 audience was above the 30% mark, going against the alcohol industry's policy.

The CAMY figures, it is important to note, do include beer ads, which run in greater numbers -- and appear to create less controversy -- than those for distilled spirits. Beer marketers have, however, committed to the 30% limitation.

Along with the National Research Council, Institute of Medicine and 20 state attorneys general, CAMY is advocating altering the 30% voluntary barrier. It wants the alcohol industry to limit its ads to programs, where an audience ages 12 to 20, makes up 15% or less of the viewership.

The figure is "roughly proportionate to the percentage of the population" in the 12-to-20 demo, CAMY says. The lower barrier could reduce youth exposure to alcohol ads on TV by 14%, CAMY estimates.

CAMY and brethren may get their wish. The FTC has announced plans to begin a fourth study into the effectiveness of the alcohol industry's self-regulatory advertising and marketing policies. Its 2003 efforts led to the beer and distilled beverage industries adopting the 30% threshold -- which previously had been at 50%. (One notable difference this time is the FTC plans to look at how alcohol marketers collect data online.)

Alcohol marketers and networks owned by Disney, Viacom and News Corp. surely want to find the right balance on alcohol advertising and young people. Maybe the FTC can spark a productive dialogue. Maybe the various players will just engage in one on their own before the bureaucratic wheels churn slowly.