Tuesday, April 24, 2012

BREAKING. Broadcasting Complaints Commission fines MultiChoice R10 000 for a big penis mistake on DStv.


You're reading it here first.

Just over a week after MultiChoice admitted it was wrong and was slapped over the wrists by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA), DStv which was fined R10 000, is again in hot water after the BCCSA found MultiChoice guilty of showing a man's penis and full frontal male nudity with an age restriction of only parental guide and 13.

Sony Max on DStv channel 126 broadcast a game show during which five young men stood almost naked on stage. Dressed only in small, tight-fitting speedos of different colours, the viewer had to guess "who has the biggest package".

While the camera zoomed in on each guy's speedo, the show, Banzai, only carried an PG13 rating. After the various guys each had a chance to step forward and put their hands in their speedos, the biggest penis owner then dropped his underwear and showed physical proof of his massive manhood.

"When the third guy steps forward, he does not put his hand in his speedo, but he pulls it down and exposes his very long penis in a close shot full in the face of the viewer," says the BCCSA in the judgement. "The scene lasts only a few seconds, but the shot is close enough to make a lasting impression on the viewer. Thereafter the third man is declared the winner. One has to conclude that the remaining two men have shorter penises, so the viewer is spared further shots of genitals," says the BCCSA.

"We fortunately have no children, but if we had, what use would PG13 have been?" a complainant wrote to the BCCSA. "I feel it's extremely inappropriate to show scenes like these where most people have access to it."

"MultiChoice concedes that classification of PG13 was not suitable for the episode in question and it was due to an error on the on the side of the channel provider," MultiChoice told the BCCSA. "MultiChoice apologised to the complainant for the inconvenience caused."

The BCCSA in its judgement found that for South African television according to the broadcasting code "the close shot of a full frontal 'in your face' penis was offensive to viewers, even the broadminded, balanced and not oversensitive ones."

MultiChoice had the option to present a written response for mitigation before the BCCSA leveled a fine but the pay TV operator chose not to. The BCCSA said it is concerned with the "recurrence of contraventions in this regard" by MultiChoice. The BCCSA fined MultiChoice R10 000 for the contravention and DStv has until 15 May to pay it.