UK Adult Channels

[BobB]

This may not be the correct forum for this question, but I would guess that people connected to the UK Satellite Adult Channels must look here now and again.
We all know that they are not allowed to broadcast R18 (but they could try a lot harder), and that since the new Broadcasting Code came into force on 25th July they are not allowed to broadcast anything stronger than 18.
Yet they continue to show explicit cunnilingus on many programs, and even digital penetration, without interference from Ofcom, even though this is not permitted.
My question is: If they know that they can get away with showing this material, why is 90% of what they broadcast, such utter softcore shite? Why not show more of the 'harder' (although miles away from R18) material that the British Adult viewing public want?

[Heathray]

Chicken springs to mind. If they showed a whole week of hardcore fucking I doubt many would complain, the only viewers are people who want to watch porn, you don't accidently come across a PIN protected station without subscribing..........

Thing is we are now being deluged with repeats of super tame old shite from mid 90s. Very little new programming and the live shows are softer than some 18 cert arthouse films available in Blockbuster and HMV....

[blackjaques]

The only people who would complain would be Mediawatch or some other pseudo-religious idiots. Every subscriber to these channels wants full-on hardcore featuring U.K. girls right now.

[nachovx]

These channels should all be banned .... on the grounds they're utter shite. Let's hope they do transgress the rules and get closed down, it would do everyone a favour. I'd let a 14 year old watch their output, it's so tame..

[BobB]

Quite right, but my point is why don't they show more of the stuff that they are getting away with showing? I know it's not what their customers want, but they would surely retain more of their subscribers if they did show more of the 'harder' material.
My guess would be that they are losing many subscribers as and when their renewals come around, and the UK Channels must know it. I am genuinely puzzled as to why they seem to be 'not bovvered' about it.
They would surely react in some way if there was a mass cancellation of subscriptions, but I guess that it will take some time for that to happen. In the meantime, they will cream off their profit and fuck their customers.
They have, after all, been doing that for the past 10 years!

[strictlybroadband]

Both Xplicit and The Adult Channel have put on hardcore content "by mistake" in the past year or so. Both of them received hefty fines to pay.

[BobB]

The 'hefty' fine amounted to ?25K for Playboy and nothing for The Adult Channel or Spice. I wonder how much they made in new subscriptions during the 2 weeks they were showing R18 material? News got around pretty fast that they were showing it. I would guess that they picked up at least a couple of thousand new subs at ?130 minimum. That comes to ?260K.
Nice work if they can get it.
Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't actually pay it anyway. They probably had a quiet word with their buddies at Ofcom, and promised not to do it again and to not rock the boat if they let them off.
Unless someone can show me the ?25K cheque made payable to Ofcom, of course? No, didn't think so.

[strictlybroadband]

You're probably right - not so hefty after all. But you can only pull that one so many times... and they risk losing their broadcast license if they repeat too often.

It's easy to accuse people of being chicken, but would you put your own cash on the line to bring hardcore to the masses?

[BobB]

I would be more inclined to show some sympathy if they didn't perpetually lie about the content of their programs (hardcore, XXX, Uncensored etc) in their attempts to con the great British Public.
I would also be more understanding if they crawled out of their (expensively equipped, I would imagine) holes, and told their customers (now there's word they'd never understand) what the fuck is going on, instead of keeping them all in the dark.
A few words now and then along the lines of 'We're doing all we can to get you what you want to see, just bear with us, our hands are tied, we're thinking of appealing to the courts etc' would help. Instead, total silence.
Thanks guys. Nice to know we're important to you.
Asswipes

[strictlybroadband]

With you on this too... customer service is a rare thing in this industry...!

One of the many ways in which we're trying to buck the trend.