TV logo burn-in could cost millions

Logos for Dutch television channels could permanently damage television channels if those logos are left on screen for too long, warns Frans Klein, head of Dutch public broadcasting organization NPO. In a memo, Klein cautioned that damage claims from television owners could cost the firm millions due to the issue, a process called “burn-in.” As television and radio channels in the country are rebranded from, for example, Netherlands 1 to NPO 1, Klein recommended changing the on-screen look of television channel logos for most programmes. While logos would remain brightly colored during the first and last thirty seconds of a show, Klein suggests replacing these with translucent white logos during most of a broadcast. The broadcasters responsible for programming the Dutch public television programmes have balked at the plan, according to newspaper AD. They are concerned that their own branding will fade into the background. Klein countered this by saying that television owners have long complained of burn-in due to the logos, and that the end of summer rebranding is the perfect time to make the change. The newspaper says that NPO was issued a warning by the European Broadcasting Union over burn-in in February 2010. Plasma television screens, particularly older models, and projection screens are most susceptible to burn-in.