FTC Commissioners Approve Settlement With Warner Bros. Over Videogame Promotion

The FTC OK’d a final consent order with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, which settled allegations in July that it paid online influencers to promote a videogame without telling consumers (see 1607110029), the agency said in a Monday news release. Commissioners voted 3-0, after a comment period, the FTC said. The agency accused Warner Bros. of paying thousands of dollars to influencers to plug the videogame Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor on Google's YouTube and other social media sites and of telling such influencers how to promote the game and not disclose any bugs. "Over the course of the campaign, the sponsored videos were viewed more than 5.5 million times," said the FTC. The company is barred from failing to make such public disclosures in the future and can't misrepresent sponsored content. In July, the company said in an email statement it always tries to be transparent with its customers and is committed to complying with the guidelines.