The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued rulings against online retailer Temu and broadband provider Virgin Media for separate breaches of advertising standards. Both companies were sanctioned on 18 February 2026 as part of the watchdog’s ongoing enforcement activities across digital and traditional advertising channels.
Temu faced investigation over two paid Facebook advertisements that were found to be misleading by contradicting the terms and conditions that applied to an advertised promotion. The ASA concluded the Chinese e-commerce platform had failed to ensure its promotional claims accurately reflected the actual offer terms available to consumers, breaching rules on misleading advertising.
Virgin Media was sanctioned over a television advertisement that failed to provide sufficient information to enable people to verify comparisons with identifiable competitors. The ASA ruled that while the broadband provider’s comparative advertising was permissible in principle, the execution did not meet standards for substantiation and verification required under the CAP Code.
The ASA’s ruling against Virgin Media was partially upheld, with another issue investigated but found not to have broken the rules. The watchdog emphasised that comparative advertising must provide consumers with enough information to verify claims independently, particularly when making direct comparisons with named competitors in the broadband and telecommunications sector.
Both rulings form part of the ASA’s broader programme of proactive monitoring and complaint investigation designed to protect consumers from misleading claims across all advertising platforms. The watchdog has emphasised its commitment to holding advertisers accountable regardless of company size or advertising medium, particularly as digital advertising continues to grow.
Key Features:
– Rulings published on 18 February 2026 (ASA, 2026-02-18)
– Temu advertisements informally resolved (ASA, 2026-02-18)
– Virgin Media ruling partially upheld (ASA, 2026-02-18)
