Enough Teasing…TV censor Ofcom bans Tease Me babe channels

Read more Ofcom Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See news release from consumers.ofcom.org.uk See also article from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom has banned four TV channels owned by Bang Channels and Bang Media following serious and repeated breaches of Ofcom’s censorship rules in its Broadcasting Code. The licensees have been revoked for the following services: Tease Me on Sky satellite Tease Me TV on Freeview digital TV Tease Me 2 on Sky satellite Tease Me 3 on Sky satellite The channels which promote adult chat are broadcast free to air. Viewers are encouraged to contact the onscreen female presenters via premium rate telephony services (PRS). During the daytime, the channels are not permitted to promote adult chat services and the material must be suitable for a pre-watershed audience. Both companies, under common ownership, have repeatedly breached rules which protect children from any sexual material and easily offended viewers from supposedly harmful and offensive material. Over a sustained period of time the licensees have transmitted content that was too sexual for the time of day or being broadcast unencrypted. A minute amount of the material broadcast was so strong that it would be considered equivalent to BBFC R18 rated material. This is not permitted on British TV – either free-to-air or under encryption. Ofcom has decided that the companies are no longer fit and proper to hold broadcast licences. In July 2010 Ofcom fined the two companies a total of £157,250 for serious breaches of the Broadcasting Code and other licence conditions. At the time Ofcom warned of a wholly inadequate compliance system that amounted to manifest recklessness and warned that such repeated compliance failures would not be tolerated. The licencees have repeatedly failed to comply with Ofcom’s rules in the last 18 months and over 60 breaches have been recorded. On 19 November 2010, Ofcom directed the broadcaster to suspend transmission and today the licenses have been revoked. Ofcom plans to meet all our licensees in this part of the broadcasting sector to ensure that they are quite clear how seriously Ofcom takes its duties in relation to the protection of easily offended television audiences and in particular children. Ofcom’s Director of Standards, Chris Banatvala, said: We want to be very clear that Ofcom are required by Parliament to protect audiences through the Broadcasting Code. We simply will not tolerate serious and repeated breaches of the Code and have therefore decided to revoke these licences. Audiences should be assured that we will continue to take action to stop broadcasters breaching the rules in this area .

Harmed by TV Censors…Ofcom imposes enormous fine on Bang Babes

Read more Ofcom Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Based on Sanctions Committee report [pdf] from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

The TV censor Ofcom has fined Bang Channels Limited and Bang Media (London) Limited for the broadcast of free to air ‘babe channel’ programmes between June 2009 and November 2009, Bang Channels Limited was fined for programmes on Tease Me, Tease Me 2, Tease Me 3. Bang Media (London) Limited  was fined for programmes on Tease Me TV For breaches of Ofcom’s 2005 Broadcasting Code in respect of: Rule 1.3: Children must also be protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable for them Rule 1.24: Premium subscription services and pay per view/night services may broadcast adult-sex. material between 2200 and 0530 provided that in addition to other protections mentioned above: . there is a mandatory PIN protected encryption system, or other equivalent protection, that seeks satisfactorily to restrict access solely to those authorised to view; and there are measures in place that ensure that the subscriber is an adult. Rule 2.1: Generally accepted standards must be applied to the contents of television and radio services so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion in such services of harmful and/or offensive material Rule 2.3: In applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context…Such material may include, but is not limited to, …sex…. Having considered all facts and arguments put before it the Sanctions Committee deemed sanctions totalling £157,250 to be appropriate, the Committee wishes to emphasise that it views the broadcast of inappropriate explicit material – such as that forming the basis of this Decision – with the utmost seriousness. In this instance, the Committee concluded that the Licensees had been operating a wholly inadequate compliance system. The Committee considered this inadequate compliance to amount to manifest recklessness. This recklessness therefore informed the Committee’s judgment of appropriate sanctions. The Ofcom Executive investigated a number of programmes broadcast on the channels operated by the Licensees and found 13 programmes broadcast on channels operated by Bang Channels to have breached the Code and one programme broadcast on the channel operated by Bang Media to have breached the Code. The Ofcom Executive also found each of Bang Channels and Bang Media to have breached Licence Condition 11 of their respective licences by failing to provide forthwith full recordings of programmes upon request by Ofcom In summary, the material found in breach related to unsuitable adult material, shown for the sole purpose of sexual stimulation. Some footage contained inappropriate explicit sexual imagery including intrusive images of, simulated masturbation and oral sex, genital and anal detail. In some cases, the material was considered to be of such strength that it was only suitable for transmission with mandatory restrictions (e.g. under PIN encryption). In one programme, in particular, the material was of such strength that it was considered to be equivalent of BBFC R18.7. 9. There were further breaches relating to daytime chat. In these cases, the broadcaster transmitted material which was considered to be unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing in that the content was inappropriately and overtly sexual.

Banging On…TV censor still whingeing at the Bang Babe channels

Read more Ofcom Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Based on article from ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom are continuing their long term whinge abiout the free to air babe channels of the Bang Babes/Tease Me stable Ofcom considered Bang Babes Tease Me 3, 16 January 2010, 03:20 Bang Babes Tease Me, 17 January 2010, 00:30 Bang Babes is an adult sex chat service, owned and operated by Bang Channels Limited (Bang Channels or the Licensee) and available freely without mandatory restricted access on the channels Tease Me and Tease Me 3 (Sky channel numbers 912 and 959). Both channels are situated in the adult section of the Sky electronic programme guide (EPG). These channels broadcast programmes after the 21:00 watershed based on interactive adult sex chat services: viewers are invited to contact onscreen female presenters via premium rate telephony services (PRS). The female presenters dress and behave in a sexually provocative way while encouraging viewers to contact the PRS numbers. Ofcom received a complaint about the following broadcasts. The complainant said that the content transmitted was too sexually explicit to be available without mandatory restricted access. Ofcom considered Rule 1.18 (‘Adult sex material’ – material that contains images and/or language of a strong sexual nature which is broadcast for the primary purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation – must not be broadcast at any time other than between 2200 and 0530 on premium subscription services and pay per view/night services which operate with mandatory restricted access. In addition, measures must be in place to ensure that the subscriber is an adult) Rule 2.1 (the broadcaster must apply generally accepted standards) Rule 2.3 (offensive material must be justified by context). Ofcom Decision Having assessed this programme’s content and purpose, Ofcom considered that the material broadcast constituted adult-sex material. Its broadcast, without mandatory restricted access, was therefore in breach of Rule 1.18. Ofcom is concerned that the Licensee considers material, such as extensive genital and anal detail and simulated masturbation in a sexual context such as this, to be acceptable for broadcast without mandatory restricted access. Ofcom concluded that this content was clearly not justified by the context and was in breach of generally accepted standards and therefore in breach of Rules 2.1 and 2.3 of the Code. Daytime Babes The Pad Tease Me, 26 February 2010, 11:45 The Pad Tease Me 3, 27 February 2010, 11:45 Tease Me: Earlybird Tease Me TV (Freeview), 26 January 2010, 07:15 The Pad is a televised daytime interactive chat programme broadcast without mandatory restricted access. It is broadcast on the Tease Me and Tease Me 3 channels, which are located in the adult section of the Sky Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) on channel numbers 912 and 959. The channels are owned and operated by Bang Channels Limited (Bang Channels or the Licensee). Viewers are invited to contact onscreen female presenters via premium rate telephony services (PRS). The presenters generally dress and behave in a provocative and/or flirtatious manner. Ofcom received a complaint about the above broadcast. The complainant was concerned that the presenter was shown exposing nipples on several occasions and considered the content inappropriate for the time of broadcast. Ofcom considered Rules 1.3 (children must be protected from unsuitable material by appropriate scheduling) Rule 2.3 (offensive material must be justified by context). Ofcom Decision In Ofcom’s opinion the sexual imagery shown to viewers during both daytime broadcasts had no editorial context other than sexual stimulation. It was therefore not editorially justified and so not appropriately scheduled and in breach of Rule 1.3. In Ofcom’s view the material broadcast at this time on this service exceeded generally accepted standards and was in breach of Rule 2.3 of the Code. Considering Sanctions Ofcom is presently considering the imposition of a statutory sanction against Bang Media (London) Limited and Bang Channels Limited for material transmitted between 20 June and 25 November 2009. In light of Bang Media and Bang Channels Limited’s serious and/or repeated breaches of the Code and Condition 11 of their licences and their continued transmission of content which appears similar in nature to that which had been found in breach of the Code, Ofcom issued them with a Direction on 12 March 2010. As a result of the serious and/or repeated nature of the breach recorded in this current finding, and those recorded against Bang Channels Limited elsewhere in this Bulletin, the Licensee is put on notice that this present contravention of the Code is also being considered for statutory sanction.