The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says Super Channel has violated the Pay TV codes for airing violence, sexuality and coarse language by airing films like Friday the 13th: Part VII – The New Blood; Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, Pet Sematary, and Zero Dark Thirty prior to 9 p.m.
The CBSC decision, released Wednesday, concerns multiple broadcasts across Super Channel’s Vault, Fuse and GINX eSports TV Canada. Following a Nov. 2019 viewer complaint that also referenced few advisories and ratings, the CBSC reviewed eight separate broadcasts that in addition to feature films, included video game and esports shows The First Hour, Squad, and GINX Plays.
In reference to the complaint, Super Channel acknowledged there had been some oversights in its scheduling practices.
While the codes governing Pay, Pay-Per-View, Video-on-Demand Services and The Pay Television and Pay-Per-View Programming Code regarding Violence give more latitude to pay television services, they still set out the same “Watershed” period of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to air content intended for adult audiences. All of the challenged programs were aired earlier than 9 p.m.
The Panel concluded that each of the broadcasts contained one or more of the elements of violence, sexuality or coarse language intended for adult audiences. It also found Super Channel in breach of its responsibilities of CBSC participation for failing to provide official and complete recordings or logger files of three of the challenged broadcasts.
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