Vaping Ads Pulled Again: Warner CBS Removes Juul Advertising

Major U.S. media companies, including CBS and CNN, are pulling vaping ads from their platforms. As the number of deaths linked to a mysterious vaping-related illness continues to rise, health regulators around the world are also taking vaping products off the market.
 
On Wednesday this week, a CBS spokesperson confirmed that CBS had decided to stop airing vaping advertisements. A week earlier, CNN also said it would no longer allow vaping products to be advertised across its network. However, it added that if research shows vaping products are harmless, it may reconsider the policy.

WarnerMedia, CNN’s parent company, has also removed vaping ads from its other media networks, including cable channels TNT and TBS. In recent weeks, both networks had been running ads from vaping giant Juul.

A WarnerMedia spokesperson said: “WarnerMedia reserves the right to remove advertising from its platforms at its sole discretion. In light of warnings issued to consumers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Lung Association, we have revised our policy on vaping advertisements and will no longer accept ads in this category. We will continue to monitor investigations by relevant medical authorities and may reassess our position as new facts emerge.”

According to ad analytics firm iSpot, more than 20 television networks aired Juul ads over the past two weeks, with ad spending for more than 900 airings exceeding $2.2 million.

A Viacom spokesperson said: “After evaluating recent reports about the potentially serious health risks of vaping, Viacom has revised its advertising policy on vaping products and will no longer air such advertisements, effective immediately.” Over the past two weeks, Viacom had aired Juul ads on networks including BET, CMT, TV Land, and Paramount Network.