Satellite X News

    Explicit Confusion

From Melon Farmers Discussions

Bazza 30.12.04

Its nice to see XplicitXXX showing some new programmes at last and I must say things are looking a bit better. The new Space Girls series is not bad and goes somewhere nearer to full R18, with the girl stuff anyway. Although camera shots are still cut from the close ups things are improving. BUT, after the hour and half of new stuff its back to the same old shite we've been seeing for the last few months, or is that years Shaun 31.12.04:

I too can't work out what's going on... There's an episode of The Coach House which hasn't been shown since the summer, (and the fiasco of everyone going back to older so called "standards") which was suddenly shown last night which has shots of explicit fellatio in it.

The Space Girls had some quite explicit but distant dildo shots too... If the restrictions really are to be lifted soon, and they show slightly more explicit material in the mean time, would complaints against them be upheld ? It would be rather silly to do so, especially as it is acknowledged by the regulators that they are supposed to be able to show more explict material than has been allowed in "18" rated sex works even if no one knows what that might be.... A complete mess. Human rights law is still being violated as far as I am concerned.

    Sky Goes Disney

From Wannabe Psycho  on Melon Farmers Discussions

Shaun's comments are on the letters page

Baise Moi (dubbed controversial in the Radio Times listing for Tuesday, and hugely controversial in the Wednesday listing) was dropped by Sky last night for the 1937 PG rated King solomon's Mines . The same substitute is scheduled tomorrow morning on the EPG. Are Sky gutless, taking the piss, or have they been got at?
 
Has anyone else noticed that the movie channels in general, have been been showing more family orientated films until way past midnight?
 
It used to be that the "family" films would be shown until 8 when they were allowed to show 15 rated movies, but now I often look at the EPG and see PG and 12 rated films showing until 11 or so and only then do the 15 rated films start showing. You hardly ever see an 18 rated movie before midnight now with the exceptions of Blade 2 and Gangs of New York , If I recall Freddy Vs Jason wasn't broadcast until 11 O'clock.
 

As an Adult I would like to be able to watch mature movies post watershed, instead I am subjected to pretty much child friendly cinema until unreasonable hours. Why should I have to stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning to watch a horror movie or Asian action movie, the 9 PM watershed is there for a reason, do Sky not feel like this is good enough?

    Too Many Repeats But No Hustle

From OfWatch . Check out how the R18 consultation is going

One of our visitors was interested to find out what was happening to the long awaited Hustler content on Xplicit (3/10/04) So he wrote  the following letter:

When or is Hustler actually starting? I was looking forward to some fresh progs on 984 but now it is repeat city. Also why are you censoring more?

I read on a couple of chat rooms that Hustler's stuff was too hard for UK broadcast and they had to re-edit a load of shows? I find it rather worrying that Larry Flynt would play it safe, after 30+ years of challenging boundaries and censors...... Thanks,

A concerned viewer.

Response from Amanda Kiss at Xplicit (10/12/04)

Thanks for your feedback. As you know over the past few months we have been working towards the launch of the first British Hustler TV channel. However, for various business reasons we have decided to delay the launch of Hustler for the time being and because of this delay we have fallen behind with the acquiring of new programming for Xplicit. But we're now getting back up to speed again.

The good news is that we have just signed a deal with British award winning producers 'Doll Theatre'. Our exclusive deal will allow us to premier one new film every night starting from Mon 13th December. Plus from Monday we'll also begin premiering new episodes of Terryvision with other episodes showing on the 14th, 17th & 18th December 2004. For more info on up and coming programmes take a look at our website www.xplicit984.co.uk

There were no problems regarding the strength of the Hustler material - it will be the best quality material whilst adhering to the British guidelines. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Ofcom relax the rules sometime next year.

I hope that this answers some of your questions. If you get a moment please let me know what you think of the new programming.

    So What Do You Think of Playboy TV ?

Letter to Playboy Channel Viewers

You are being contacted personally by me as you have previously written to us expressing an opinion about Playboy TV programming.

As the Head of Programming for Playboy it is very difficult for me to know what our viewers think of our shows. Many are very interested in "hardcore" programming, which is something I cannot currently help them with. However, within the confines of what we can show in the UK, I hope that we do a good job of producing fresh, watchable, sexy programming. However without feedback it is difficult to know if we are doing it as well as we can. Since you are, or have been, a paying customer, I feel it is very important to encourage a dialogue between our viewers and myself to make sure we are doing the "right thing" with our programmes.

I am specifically interested in your views on our new series Cold Coupling . We have worked hard to make this something which stands out in comparison to adult material on other channels. Have we succeeded? Is this something you would like to see more of? Or does it leave you - excuse the pun - cold?

If you have comments on any of our other shows I would also be very pleased to hear them. If you have any comments on any aspect of our service, please also let me know and I will try to answer or pass them on to someone who can.

Richard Ings
Playboy TV

Melon Farmer Ian has made a robust response posted on the Letters section

    Fuller X

From  Transponder News

A further channel has been added to the hardcore Full X stable.  Transponder News reports that Full X3 has replaced Full X2 on Astra 1, transponder 11.509 GHz vertical.

I am not sure what has happened to Full X2 though

    X-Zone Spiced Up

From  Transponder News

Spice Platinum has replaced X-Zone on Astra 1 at 12.515 GHz h, encrypted in Seca 2. X-Zone was limited to subscribers of the Netherlands flavour of Canal+

    Cock Ups on View on UK Satellite

From  Melon Farming Discussions

Chaos on the UK adult channels last night. The encryption service seemed to break down across the board and most channels were very slow to pull the plug on their softcore broadcasts left in the clear.

Last nights technical faults were down to a transponder change on the Red hot network which effected the sky viewing box, (not a conspiracy on behalf of the adult providers). PIN protected channels where failsafe and were locked out as unviewable  during last nights technical fault. Further endorsing that PIN protection is much safer than conventional encryption methods.

  Hard to See

  More Free Sex

  Free Sex

Several contributors to the Melon Farming discussions have been noting hardcore channels that are free to air. These are based upon intrusive advertising but may be worth checking out.

I shall look out for others being discussed and add them to the Satellite X Channel Review

    Seeing Pink

From  365Gay.com

The first French language gay TV channel started a few days ago. Pink TV is a giant leap for television, a small step in high heels, presenter Eric Gueho said. The network's founders believe there's a ready audience for the channel, and not just among France's estimated 3.5 million gays.

The network is available on cable and satellite television and largely financed by France's three main commercial networks.

Pink founder and president, Pascal Houzelot said about 50 percent of programming will be devoted to subjects "of direct interest to gay guys and girls. Perhaps we'll set ourselves apart in the way we tackle subjects and the subjects that we tackle. Clearly, it will address itself in the first instance to gays but is much larger than that and will, I hope, seduce a diversified public."

As well as sports Pink will feature daily doses of dubbed versions of Wonder Woman and Queer as Folk, and X-rated films four nights a week after midnight.

France has in recent years made big strides, legally recognizing gay couples and electing a gay mayor for Paris. Homophobic remarks will be punishable with prison and fines under a draft law expected to be debated in parliament before the year's end.

The government suspended Noel Mamere from his post as a town mayor for a month after he presided over France's first gay marriage on June 5. A court in Bordeaux in the southwest later annulled the union - a ruling the couple has vowed to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

    Spice Platinum on the Move

From  Transponder News

Spice Platinum, the hardcore satellite channel on Hotbird, has moved transponder from 11.096 GHz horizontal to 10.853 GHz horizontal

Note that this is not the softcore channel on Sky's Astra 2 which is not effected.

    Satellite Porn Nipped in the Bud

From Big News Network

Japanese police have arrested four people for allegedly using overseas satellite broadcasts to beam pornography into the country.

The suspects include the 38-year-old president of a firm selling satellite broadcast reception devices, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday. He and three associates were arrested for displaying obscene images and for violating a law on the safe use of electrical goods.

This is reportedly Japan's first arrest over satellite broadcast pornography.

According to investigators, between March 2003 and June 2004 the four sold foreign satellite reception devices and parabolic antennas that were not certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Between March and July this year, they broadcast pornographic images from a Philippine broadcasting facility to a private communications satellite in Indonesia, the report said.

The group had signed up about 52 users in Japan to view the images, police said.

    Real Hardcore on Sky Satellite?

I just spotted an advert for Extasi/Satisfaction that claims the channel is again available on Eurobird. (28.5 East, Frequency 12525H, Sym. 14,649, FEC 2/3). It needs further confirmation but this satellite can be picked up by viewers with a Sky dish albeit requiring another set top box to decrypt the signal.

European Satellite News reckon that Extasi/Satisfaction are adding a new channel to be named Luxuria TV. It will be dedicated to "glamorous and desirable women."

And for our Nederland Canal+ subscribers, X-Zone will be replaced by Spice Platinum on November 1st.

    Hustler TV

From bazza

As from 5th Nov 2004 xplicitXXX will change its name to Hustler TV. Hopefully, if the Hustler empire is behind this move, we may see more variety in its shows and not the endless repeats we suffer at present. Having seen the rest the still believe this is one of the better Adult channels available at the moment but you only see new programmes in the first week of every month. After that your guaranteed to have a repeat.

From Kit Ryan

The only danger I could see in this change would be an increase in very poor American films (similar to the content on TVX3) and then a decrease in British (or at least European) content. On the other hand, it may give the Playboy and TVX channels something to think about as they have become very stale at present. I presume that copyright laws mean that it will be linked to Larry Flynt's organisation in some form.

    Softcore Babes

From blackjaques  5-Oct-2004

Watched Sport Babes Friday and last night and it seems they have reverted to the old "safety first" style of Tantalise/Girls. Last night the girls attempted to liven things up with the help of a tub of ice cream but without the added ingredient of hardcore the show was, quite frankly, boring. Last time for a while for me.

    LastMinute.Ofcom

It seems that Ofcom have had a last minute rush of responses to their contents consultation. 600 responses have now been received. My own response suffered a little from last minutitus but if anyone would like to read it, here it is in Word format

    In the Pink

France's first gay television channel, PinkTV, has been announced

Pink says it will take part in the debate on homosexuality and other topics but not does plan to be militant. The channel launches Oct. 25 on cable and satellite. Subscription will cost $11 a month.

But Pink is the first nationally broadcast gay channel of its kind, said its founder and president, Pascal Houzelot. Pink is aiming for at least 180,000 subscribers.

There'll be debates Mondays on homophobia, gay unions, gay parenthood and other topics, a chat show Thursdays and X-rated films four nights a week after midnight. The actors will wear condoms.

    In Ecstasy

A new hardcore package is scheduled to start in October. The Austria based INXTC TV will be a two channel package on Hotbird 10.853GHZ horizontal.

The annual subscription will be 99Euros. They promise a selection of modern and classic movies, news and live sex.

More details at www.inxtc.at

  New Babes on the Block (Updated)

A new channel has joined the Sport line up on Sky. Sport XXX Babes has started on channel 975.

Despite initial scepticism the channel seems to have a made a promising start:

From jerky 24.09.04

I also watched sportxxxbabes last night and enjoyed it however if the standard is now set what is taking the other so called adult channels so long to catch up seems to me that precedent has been set and could now give a specific defence to the other distributors bring on freedom of choice I say

From The Wolfman  24.09.04

I think he best thing about last night was that one of the girl's quite openly fisted herself, something which is banned even in California and it didn't cut away to the girl's eyes like it does on Playboy TV or a camera shot through a stained glass window or something on The Adult Channel.

The first thing I noticed was that whenever they used dildos for anal sex, they always turned to the side or in a place where you can't see actual penetration, this annoyed me slightly but then again I can't imagine them showing a dildo that size going in and out of a girl even in an R18 video (or perhaps it wasn't going in at all...?)

    Free-X TV 2

Backroom which ceased transmitting a few days ago has been replaced by Free-X TV 2. So far this seems similar to Free-X TV. Mainly straight hardcore but some gay programming

    Sorry Guv

Playboy were threatened with a fine by Ofcom in response to problems over taped records of a nights viewing. In response to general concerns about the suitability of programmes on some adult channels, Playboy TV was asked to supply a tape of its output for 2 July.

Playboy TV said that it had suffered a power cut on 1 July and produced a letter of confirmation from its electricity supplier. But Ofcom were not impressed concluding that: As no recording of output was available, we were unable to view the channel's output. It is a licence requirement that broadcasters retain suitable recordings of their output. Failure to do so is a serious breach of licence conditions. Any repetition of such a failure would result in the consideration of a statutory sanction .

    Backroom Backs Down

The gay channel Backroom has ceased transmitting as of 6th September 2004

    Satellite Zoo

From Melon Farmers Discussions

According to last weeks 'Zoo' Magazine, hardcore will be broadcast, on Subscription Satellite TV, from October of this year! It didn't go into too much detail, but at least it looks promising!

    Ofwatch Response

Ofwatch have just posted their response to the Ofcom content consultation. Well worth a read. Hopefully it will be stimulate a few further melon farming responses

    Red Light TV

From Card Mania

SCT, the Italian porn broadcaster, has announced the Red Light TV package on the Hotbird satellite at 13 degrees. A promotion for the service can be found at 12.207Ghz / H (SR: 27500, FEC: 3/4). The package will officially launch in late September and will consist of 5 24-hour hardcore channels. These will include; Red Light TV, the broadcaster's main channel; Red Light TV Plus dedicated to fetish programming, as well as the already existing 3-channel In-X-World line up (Free X TV, XDream TV & the gay channel  Backroom). The cost will be about £90 annually.

    Mail Restraint

Please support OfWatch who are campaigning for R18's to be broadcast on UK pay TV.  There is a public consultation where responses really will help the cause. From Ofwatch: Mail on Sunday confirm Ofcom's plans to deregulate R18

Unfortunately there was no mention of Ofwatch in the half page article about R18 on TV published by the Mail today. We suspect that the whole truth was a little too unpalatable for them. However, despite some inaccurate moral sabre rattling in the headline, they did present a reasonably accurate picture of the current situation, even making reference to the arrival of the Human Rights Act, the deregulation of R18 on video and the Government's change in position concerning the proscription of foreign channels that broadcast hardcore material in Britain.

Some intriguing claims also came to light. It was reported that some Ofcom officials have been privately advising executives within the 'adult' entertainment industry to expect a relaxation of the law within the next year on subscription channels (presumably they meant a relaxation in the regulations). A director of one of Britain's major pornography companies was also reported to have said I was advised off the record by Ofcom that while they are worried about the content of the free-to-view channels, it was their judgment that within the next 12 months R18 films would be available. I am surprised they publicly denied it so vehemently because people at Ofcom are saying that the relaxation of the laws surrounding R18 films is an inevitability .

The Industry certainly believes that a change is coming as can be seen by the number of recent applications for new 'adult' services. Sport television has applied to Sky for four new adult channels, along with talks of buying up six existing channels. Andrew McIntyre , managing director of Sport Television, was reported to have said "I do believe a relaxation will happen. If a change in policy is carried out and we are able to show R18 videos, it will mean a phenomenal increase in profits because there is clearly massive demand for this product".

Huw Rossiter, head of media at Ofcom was reported as saying, We're simply posing the question  in our consultation as to whether this ban should continue. Our recommendation is that it should. We would have to have very strong evidence that under-18's can be protected from harm and offence before we considered changing it .

But there is very strong evidence right under his nose that under 18's can be protected by use of encryption, proof of age at subscription and PIN security. We suspect that in reality Huw Rossiter is simply trying to damp down any possibility of a moral panic story developing. Nevertheless the question must be asked, why is strong evidence of protection required when there is no evidence of harm? The statement is a serious misrepresentation of the reality concerning 'harm' and 'evidence' and is unacceptable from a 'communications regulator' at any time, regardless of the intention. Ofcom would do better to limit itself to accurate representations of the facts.

Perhaps the most telling point of all was the positioning of the article. If this matter really was a serious concern to the public the Mail would undoubtedly have put it on the front page with a more lurid headline. The fact that it is buried at the bottom of page 11 shows that it has become a non issue. Ofwatch doubt if there remains sufficient public interest for a major moral hoo-ha. Time will tell. 

Notable by their absence were Mediawatch.

    The Only Ones Stiffed are the Viewers

Thanks to Malcom & Band

Malcom :

Reading a newspaper advertisement for sportxxx channels this morning they are claiming to show free strip shows from 9pm till 11pm and then the "Real hard stuff" after 11pm till 5 am. Stating in "BOLD" print that it is hard core from 9pm to 5am. Using much stronger claims than I have seen on the Xplicit or Adult channel adverts
 
I have never subscribed for as much as one evening to this channel. Or looked at the free stuff. So I assume it to be a con. Unless someone can tell me otherwise. Surley false claims like this is outrageous in order to con people to buy there service..

Band:

I have watched SportXXX a few times - including very recently and it was softcore rubbish. Nowhere near as "hard" (I use that term loosely) as Xplicit. Have been watching RedHot recently - and after midnight programs get a little more daring. It's odd though that they are much more liberal with erect penises than Xplicit - yet shy away from showing "tongue on clit" which Xplicit excel at!
 
I don't understand any of it....

    Blue with Satisfaction

Thanks to Derrick

Ultra Blue stopped transmitting on June 30th. Subscribers may get SCT/Extasi as a replacement. Recent cards (less than 3 months old) are replaced free and older cards may be changed at a fee of 45 Euros.

    Reasonable Response

How to petition Ofcom to allow us to see hardcore on UK TV from Ofwatch

The condensed guide on how to respond to the standards consultation is now available

After much deliberation we have boiled down the 146 pages contained in Ofcom's broadcasting standards consultation into less than 5 pages of questions and comments that we believe will be of interest to Ofwatch visitors. If you have been put off responding due to the shear size of the consultation document we recommend that you read our guide. Responses can be as long or as short as you wish.
Ofwatch condensed guide

Example Response

Ian, (editor of www.world-sex-news.com ) was keen to send his reply to Ofcom as quickly as possible and has kindly offered his response for publication here so that others can see a real example.
Ian's response

    Early Evening Blues

From Reuters

Ofcom have fined a pornographic satellite television channel £50,000 for broadcasting graphic sex too early in the evening.

Digital Television Production aired the sexually explicit images of simulated intercourse and orgasm between 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on April 8 on its XplicitXXX [Note that the channel is softcore and is neither explicit or XXX rated] service on a free-to-air basis to promote the normally encrypted channel.

Regulator Ofcom said it did not receive any viewer calls about the April 8 material, but had heard previous complaints about the channel for similar transgressions. One of Digital Television's rivals alerted Ofcom to the six-minute promotional loop that violated separate rules governing taste and decency, family viewing time and sex and nudity.

It is the first fine against a broadcaster imposed by Ofcom, which was formed last December to consolidate previous regulatory agencies. It can impose penalties up to £250,000

The fined company told Ofcom's sanctions committee that airing the material, which included a caption promoting the film Anal Cream Pie before the 9 p.m. watershed and ahead of its usual encrypted broadcast of 10 p.m. was not deliberate nor an attempt to seek more market share in the cut-throat world of adult entertainment, according to the regulator's findings.

Instead, a substitute scheduler "mistakenly confused two tapes in identical containers", which led to the early screening, regulators said.

Ofcom said the company lacked appropriate management control and took a complacent attitude toward the interests of children, who might have caught glimpse of the pornography. It said Digital Television had pledged to curb such mistakes after confronted about similar incidents in the past.

Officials for Digital Television, which told regulators that a large fine could cripple the company because it loses money, could not immediately be reached for comment.

    A guiding Hand

From Ofwatch

Ofwatch has not been idle since Ofcom announced it's standards consultation last week. The Ofwatch response is now in an advanced state of preparation and should be completed some time in August when it will be posted on site as well as being sent to Ofcom. Despite Ofcom's noncommittal stance on the R18 issue a careful reading of the consultation document has illuminated a number of issues which Ofcom will have great trouble explaining if they decide to maintain the existing ban and intend to continue to claim their code is consistent, proportionate, evidence based and built on the law rather than the previous codes.

We have also realised that many people do not have the time or patience to trawl through the 146 pages of rules, comments and questions that make up this consultation (and who can blame them). However mindful of the importance of this issue, Ofwatch is now working on a condensed guide highlighting the key issues and questions to make it as easy and painless as possible to respond. If you would like to respond but feel a little daunted by the size of the task do not despair. It's not how much you write that counts, but what you write and the fact that you have written. The guide should be available by the 8th August.

    Spicy Movement

From CardMania

From August 1st Spice Platinum will begin broadcasting at 10.853Ghz / H (SR: 27500, FEC: 3/4). The channel intends to remain broadcasting from its current frequency until September.

    Ofcom Recommend Human Rights Abuse

Ofcom have now published their consultancy paper on TV content regulation .

They still recommend that films banned by the BBFC should be prohibited along with R18 material. On a positive note they at least present the option of allowing R18s. Also on a very brief reading I didn't spot anything about only allowing the BBFC video version.

I urge all Melon Farmers to respond to the consultation. We need to convince that there is little support for their assumption of censorship and their potential denial of our human rights.

In addition some of their points are puerile. Their suggestion that censorship may assist commercial interests of current broadcasters who have stockpiled a whole load of softcore material that no-one will want takes the mick. They have acknowledged in this reasoning that hardcore is massively what people want yet they recommend illegal censorship for the sake of commercial interests.

See  www.ofwatch.org.uk . for details on how to make your views felt

Ofcom are considering two possibilities concerning R18 content on subscription services:

Option one - continue the prohibition on R18s, and R18 standard material and maintain 'adult' material restrictions Ofcom could continue the stance taken by previous regulators with a prohibition on the transmission of R18s and maintain the restrictions regarding the transmission of 'adult' sex material.

Option two - if appropriate safeguards are in place - remove or change the rules regarding R18s and R18 standard material and 'adult' material

Under section 6 of the Act, Ofcom has a duty to ensure that it does not impose or maintain unnecessary regulatory burdens. It may now be the case that the technology exists to protect the under eighteens from R18s, R18 standard material and 'adult' sex material (before 2200) and also protect those adults who do not want to see such material by mistake while allowing adults who have made a deliberate decision to view it.

Recommendation:

The status quo will prevail regarding a prohibition on R18s, and R18 standard material and also on a 2200 start for 'adult' sex material plus the other protections currently in place regarding 'adult' sex material. It will only change if it can be established that there are sufficient safeguards (technical and otherwise) to protect persons under eighteen, and ensure that adults who do not wish to see such material are adequately protected from harm and offence.

More From http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/current/broadcasting_code/?a=87101

3. Whether the transmission of R18s and R18 standard material is compatible with the requirements of the Act and TWF Directive relating to the protection of minors

Whether such material should be prohibited or allowed on certain services

If it is allowed, whether those under eighteen, and adults who do not wish to view this material, can be adequately protected (by technical or other devices)

Whether the restrictions regarding 'adult' television services should be changed and if so with what protections

Background

39. This consultation seeks responses regarding the present prohibition on transmitting R18s and, consequently, R18 standard material. Should the prohibition be lifted or maintained? If it is not to be maintained then Ofcom seeks information on what technical protections or other protections are available which could ensure the protection of people under eighteen (and others who do not wish to access the material). Further, if the prohibition is lifted, on which services should it be lifted?

40. The R18 category is a special and legally restricted BBFC classification for explicit videos of consenting sex between adults. (The BBFC guidelines regarding R18s can be found on the BBFC website at www.bbfc.co.uk) The BBFC are currently classifying some 1400 videos in the R18 category a year. Such material may presently be supplied to adults only, over the counter, in licensed sex shops.

41. The content guidelines for R18s were significantly revised by the BBFC in 2000. Only material distributed in a form that attracts classification under the VRA - essentially videos and DVDs - is required to observe the VRA's restrictions. (The VRA does not prohibit the transmission of R18s on television.)

42. R18 standard material refers to material which has not been offered to the BBFC for classification, e.g. live sex shows or amateur videos, but if it were to be classified would be of R18 standard. This also covers foreign material which does not go through the BBFC system.

43. Section 1.4 of the ITC Programme Code stated that "No R18 film should be transmitted at any time". R18 standard material is also effectively prohibited.

44. The UK government can, and has, on the regulator's recommendation, proscribed services which are licensed abroad but which transmit R18 standard material into the UK. It has previously proscribed five services.

45. In order to recommend such a proscription to the Secretary of State the ITC had to be satisfied that the trade for the service existed in the UK. These proscriptions could in themselves be seen as evidence that some broadcasters wish to provide such services and that there are viewers who wish to receive them.

46. Ofcom is required to set standards which maintain generally accepted standards as required under section 319(2)(f) of the Act. The public must be adequately protected from the inclusion of offensive and harmful material in programmes as judged against generally accepted standards. Ofcom is also required to set standards to protect people under eighteen. The TWF Directive also requires that nothing is included in television broadcasts which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors.

47. In a survey of public opinion of 1200 adults commissioned by the BSC and ITC (The Public's View 2002) it was found that 76% agreed that people should be allowed to pay extra to view particularly sexually explicit programmes on subscription services. The survey did not distinguish between R18s and R18 standard material and more commonly available 'adult' material.

48. The government has found no compelling evidence of harm to adults as R18s were made legally available in 2000. However the regulatory impact analysis of a government consultation paper on the regulation of R18 videos, published in 2000, explains the precautionary approach regarding children and R18s: "There is always a risk of age-restricted material, such as tobacco or alcohol, falling into the hands of, and being misused by, children. Unlike tobacco and alcohol, which are widely available, there is no known and substantiated health or other risk associated with watching a video which has been given an R18 classification. However, there is widespread public concern about the possibility of children viewing sexually explicit material which is clearly unsuitable for them and the Government takes the common sense view that exposure to such material at an early age may be harmful to children. There is, therefore, a need to ensure that controls on the distribution and viewing of these videos is as stringent as possible."

49. Ofcom also seeks responses as to whether the restrictions currently in place regarding transmitting  'adult' sex material on certain premium subscription services and on Pay Per View (PPV) and Pay Per Night (PPN) services should be changed and if so on what services and with what protections.

50. The ITC Programme Code does allow latitude for certain premium subscription services available to adults who have specifically chosen them in section 1.4(i). They must comply with measures that ensure the subscriber is an adult and may transmit such material only between 2200 and 0530.

51. Separately in the ITC Programme Code watershed rules may be waived for pay-per-view services "where security mechanisms, such as a PIN system or equivalent, satisfactorily restrict access to films or programmes solely to those authorised to view. The mandatory security mechanism and the safeguards that it provides for children must be clearly explained to all subscribers. It should normally be supported by a detailed billing system that enables subscribers to check all viewing and, in particular, out-of-watershed viewing. In addition operators are expected to implement a suitable film classification system, or equivalent, and to provide any additional information about programme content and reasons for any restrictions that might assist parents and other adults to judge the suitability of material for children. However such services must still "exercise cautionls in daytime and in 'adult' sex material" must still comply with the 2200 to 0530 transmission rule.

52. Some argue that the restrictions in place regarding R18s, R18 standard material and 'adult' material are unnecessary regulation and a restriction on freedom of expression and choice. But other stakeholder groups regard such material as so innately offensive and potentially harmful to adults as well as under eighteens that they consider a prohibition on R18 and R18 standard material an absolute necessity. Some want 'adult' sex material prohibited as well.

53. To remove or change the rules which prohibit R18s and R18 standard material and to waive the 2200 rule and/or associated rules regarding 'adult' sex material would be an important change affecting broadcasters and consumers with significant commercial impact.

54. Option one - continue the prohibition on R18s, and R18 standard material and maintain 'adult' material restrictions Ofcom could continue the stance taken by previous regulators with a prohibition on the transmission of R18s and maintain the restrictions regarding the transmission of 'adult' sex material as described above.

55. Option two - if appropriate safeguards are in place - remove or change the rules regarding R18s and R18 standard material and 'adult' material

Under section 6 of the Act, Ofcom has a duty to ensure that it does not impose or maintain unnecessary regulatory burdens. It may now be the case that the technology exists to protect the under eighteens from R18s, R18 standard material and 'adult' sex material (before 2200) and also protect those adults who do not want to see such material by mistake while allowing adults who have made a deliberate decision to view it.

Benefits

56. Option one would continue to protect the under eighteens and also be based on the assumption that such material is so potentially offensive to society that its transmission would be a breach of generally accepted standards.

57. The basis for retaining the restrictions on 'adult' sex material on certain premium subscription services would be that the restrictions are necessary to prevent those under the age of eighteen accessing this material and so the restrictions protect under eighteens. Also it prevents offence to adults who do not wish to see such material.

58. The benefit of option two would be that it would give viewers greater choice. Many of the member states of Europe allow the broadcast transmission of R18s. This would bring the UK into line with Europe. There would be new channels offering such material and other channels would be able to schedule more freely, potentially bringing in new subscribers thereby increasing the revenues that such channels receive.

Disadvantages

59. The disadvantages of option one would be that it may be out of line with public opinion, limit choice for adults and inhibit the commercial development of existing and potential services.

60. The disadvantages of option two are that under eighteens may not be sufficiently protected and adults may be exposed to potential offence.

Furthermore Ofcom would have to employ a person or persons to view and regulate such material. That might lead to an increase in regulatory costs to broadcasters.

61. There may also be an adverse economic impact on television services presently supplying 'adult' sex material via premium subscription services or via PPV or PPN. These services have built up a stock of material permitted by the ITC and may find themselves at a disadvantage. They risk losing viewers and may have to acquire fresh stock making old stock redundant.

Recommendation

62. The status quo will prevail regarding a prohibition on R18s, and R18 standard material and also on a 2200 start for 'adult' sex material plus the other protections currently in place regarding 'adult' sex material. It will only change if it can be established that there are sufficient safeguards (technical and otherwise) to protect persons under eighteen, and ensure that adults who do not wish to see such material are adequately protected from harm and offence.

See http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/current/broadcasting_code/?a=87101 for complete paper

    Free-X TV not so Free

The European hardcore channel Free-X TV seem to have ceased transmitting on Hotbird. There is now only a test card telling you that there encryption systems has proven unreliable and that customers must buy an upgrade card for their service on Astra 1. There incomprehensible instructions how to do this on their website at www.free-xtv.com

    Blues at UltraBlue

Thanks to John. From www.sat-erotik.de

It looks as if Ultra Blue has gone belly up just after going 24/7.  One of the last of the evenings only transmitters which must have caused it to lose many viewers and therefore income.

    Xplicit More Explicit

Spotted on www.ofwatch.org.uk

Xplicit have been pushing the boundary again with recent scenes showing erections, explicit fellatio and masturbation. In the past such footage has either been cut entirely, censored or restricted to a brief glimpse, but recently sequences of 10 or 20 seconds have been shown.

Despite generally being considered a taboo there would appear to be no explicit prohibition on such content in the ITC programme code. In fact it would seem entirely in keeping with the programme code to ensure that male performers were treated in the same manner as female performers to avoid accusations of sexual discrimination.

So congratulations to Xplicit for confronting nonsensical and arbitrary restrictions.

    Soft Improvement

From Kit on the Melon Farmers Discussions

Has anybody else noticed that some of the adult channels have shown stronger material in the past few weeks? Although hardly hardcore, some of the new programmes seem to take far bigger risks than previously:

• Playboy - No noticeable improvements;
• The Adult Channel - Strangely some of the older programmes (lesbian only) seem to have been slightly re-edited. It hasn't really made much improvement to the episodes concerned but I have noticed that some of the programmes appear to be slightly less cut from when they were previously broadcast (has anyone noticed this or am I imagining things?)
• Spice - The new boy/girl episodes they are showing are much closer to the type of programmes that Xplicit show than ever before. Indeed some of the programmes have gone beyond the content that Xplicit has shown. They rely too much on crappy films to fill their schedule and these new programmes are only a small part of their total output. In reality it is a poor channel and it is a pity that the big improvements in the new programmes are overshadowed by such a large volume of dull American films;
• TVX - The most improved channel in the recent weeks has been TVX. It has fallen far behind it's competitors and finally seems to have been stung into action. The newer programmes on TVX1 have improved slightly but are nothing to shout about. However, TVX2 has many new programmes which show material that they would have cut only months previously. It is far closer to the content of Xplicit than the material shown on TAC or TVX1. TVX3 is as pointless as ever though. The rescheduling of their programmes to stagger the freeview is also very welcome;
• Xplicit - Definitely still the best channel for those who choose to subscribe to the soft British options. The amount of repeats is still a huge problem but the content is consistently the hardest on these channels. The strength of a particular programme seems to vary according to who made it though and some are far better than others.

    More Ultra Blue

The hardcore channel, UltraBlue TV, on Hotbird plan to go 24/7 from next month, and before they do this, they need to call in all Existing smart cards and swop them for new ones.

    Dodgy Adult Channel Advert

Spotted on www.ofwatch.org.uk

The Adult Channel were reprimanded by Ofcom over a misleading advertisement, having failed to alert viewers to the fact that there was a compulsory 12 month minimum subscription period for The Adult Channel.

An advertisement offered subscriptions to The Adult Channel for £9.99 a month, and to a further two channels for an additional £5 (a total of £14.99). A viewer complained that the advertisement did not make it clear that there was a compulsory minimum subscription of 12 months.

The Adult Channel explained that due to an error the information about the 12 month minimum subscription period had been omitted from the advertising. However, it pointed out that customers would be given this information at time of payment.

Ofcom requirea that all important limitations and qualifications be made clear in the advertising itself. This is regardless of what information is given to a customer when he or she contacts an advertiser. As there was no indication in the advertisement that subscription was for at least 12 months, Ofcom found it to be in breach of Advertising Standards Code Rule 5.2.3 (Qualifications) and require that the advertising should not reappear without the important qualification to the offer being made clear in the advertisement.

    Well Baise Moi, Penetration on Sky

Spotted on www.ofwatch.org.uk

on Sunday (13/6/04) morning at 1.30am Sky cinema one broadcast the French film Baise-Moi (Rape me). The version shown included graphic scenes of penetrative sex that the BBFC considered suitable for an adult audience when it was released on video. This clearly demonstrates yet again that the regulation of adult television in the UK has fallen into disarray and that inconsistency reigns supreme. 

Graphic penetrative sex in a violent context is permitted on a general entertainment subscription service, where viewers might not expect to see it, yet graphic penetrative sex in a consensual context is prohibited on a specialist entertainment subscription service where viewers do expect to see it and have in fact specifically paid to see it. That such a situation can occur in a broadcasting environment that is supposedly 'regulated' in the interests of the viewers simply beggars belief and makes a mockery of television regulation.

Unfortunately it appears unlikely that there will be a speedy resolution in favour of the viewing public in this case. The interminable wheels of bureaucracy will have to churn around for another 6 months before there is any hope of a new programme code and that is assuming there will be no further delay, which on current form would appear unlikely. Until then we will have to live with regulation in wonderland, although you are free to make comments to Alice in next months consultation.

    So Many Channels and So Little Sex

From The Independent

Playboy TV, the adult broadcaster, doubled its channel line-up last night with a cut-price offer that could trigger a price war in the sector.

The company, part of Playboy International, which is listed in the US, said it would spend "several million" on three new channels and a marketing campaign that it promised would "revolutionise" adult television in this country.

The new Climax3 services, available in homes that subscribe to BSkyB, are in the "pay-per-night" market and promise both to under cut competitors' prices and provide a different kind of programming. The company said its research showed that viewers of adult television were unhappy with the lack of choice. (Presumably the lack of choice to watch hardcore)

Viewers wanting pay-per-night typically get one channel for £5. Playboy TV said it would provide access to all three channels for the night for £3. Consumers can flick between the channels, which would together provide 22 hours of programming each night. People want to be able to dip in and out of channels, Richard Gale, the European head of marketing at Playboy TV, said.

Climax3 will provide clips, rather than long programmes, with MTV-style "VJs" as hosts. That way, Mr Gale said, the action should appear more "intense" - hardcore material is not allowed in this country. Playboy TV has three established monthly subscription stations, including The Adult Channel.

Sky offers more than 30 adult channels including pay-per-night and monthly subscription stations. The area is believed to be highly lucrative both for Sky and the channel providers.

    Fantasy Hardcore

From Melon Farmers Discussions

woodsykd :

I was watching TVX3 at around 4am on Saturday morning when there was some definite female on male oral sex...
it was only for a few seconds but there was no blurring or anything. Also earlier in the night there was definite erections on several occasions. Could this be another time that channels are showing the harder stuff? *fingers crossed*

    Satellite Rights Abuse

Andy on www.digitalspy.co.uk/satellite forums

Well, I emailed Ofcom to ask why the Adult Channel had reverted back to it's softcore farcical programming and this is the reply I got, doesn't make promising reading...

Thank you for contacting us about this subject. I doubt that anything I say will alter your opinion that 'hardcore' material should be allowed on Ofcom licensed adult services. But I hope that I can at least demonstrate that our policy is a considered one that seeks to balance the various interests.

Adult services have been allowed on cable and satellite services for a decade now. They include programming more explicit than would be allowed on free-to-air or basic package channels. Much of the programming is cut down hardcore. Our research indicates, however, that public opinion does not favour a move to wholly explicit programming of the sort now available in 'R18'-rated videos. These videos are available only in licensed sex shops, and the broadcasters have to respect the law on this matter.

So a balance is struck between the legitimate wishes of adults to see sex programming and concerns over child protection. Broadcasting is not obviously suited to providing material otherwise available only in a hundred or so specialist shops where access by children can be easily policed. Even where encryption and other security measures can be applied, the wide distribution of the most explicit material must be a significant issue.

Thank you for raising this with us.

Yours sincerely

Alistair Hall
Broadcast Team Officer - Contact Centre
Office of Communications
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
www.ofcom.org.uk

    Softback Playboy, Hardback Sport

From Melon Farmers Discussions

Grawth

Sport XXX (Channel 991) went for it last night. Their live show from 9-11 had Faye Rampton, KelleMarie and another girl. No close ups, but obvious penetration by both fingers and dildos.
 
For those thinking of purchasing this channel, a warning. It's a fiver a night, the quality of what follows the live show is doubtful, and you can't just leave the video running - every new programme they make you type your pin number again!
 
Also, whether the show is HC or not depends largely on who's on. If you get KelleMarie, Faye or Rebecca, it tends to be real, if its not them, you get simulation.

The Wolfman

It would appear that our dear old 'tellycore' (not softcore, not hardcore... 'tellycore') fiends at The Adult Channel and The Playboy Channel have stopped showing the R18 segments that most of us have viewed over recent weeks. Having wasted a lot of money and a lot of caffeine pills to stay awake I concluded that The Adult Channel and The Playboy Channel have gone back to their old ways of OfCom/ITC suitable pornography.
 

Wolfman's Advice - Don't subscribe any time soon, though keep your eye out for reports of the occassional R18 segments that The Adult Channel and The Playboy Channel did not advertise (which was a really bad idea because it's quite obvious that they would have had more viewers - and more financial income - had they advertised the fact they were going to show Uncut British Sex instead of the regular crap).

    Playboy Goes Hardcore

Melon Farmers Discussions

Caledoniaguy

Did anyone just see PlayboyTV? Full solo dildo penetration followed by explicit girl/girl i.e. more explicit than normal cunnilingus and digital penetration.

Mr Bill:

YES!!! and on cable too. Way to go Playboy

Luxor:

Bizarre night on Playboy. Sandy Babe Abroad episodes were all H/C apart from one, then the film of 'sandy does hardcore' was of course S/C. Then back to the Sandy Babe Abroad episodes after the film finishes and they are back to H/C.
 
Still, one (almost) full night of G/G H/C is an improvement.

Caledoniaguy :

I hope everyone is going to contact Playboy to let them know you approve, as well as requesting lots more of course :) It may help the cause if they can show OFCOM that their viewers are quite happy with HC.
 
Next stop, full R18 male/female? Probably not, with current guidelines, but we live in hope!

Grawth:

The Sport channels (989 and 991) appear to have bottled out at the moment too. Previously, on at least two days a week, they have broadcast as part of their live interactive show penetration by fingers and dildos. In all cases, the lead presenter was either Faye or Rebecca (who also features on Babecast). A couple of weeks ago Faye went on holiday, and last week Rebecca disappeared. Strength of programming has immediately dropped back to what it was.

    Playboy Goes Hardcore

Melon Farmers Discussions

Caledoniaguy

Did anyone just see PlayboyTV? Full solo dildo penetration followed by explicit girl/girl i.e. more explicit than normal cunnilingus and digital penetration.

Mr Bill:

YES!!! and on cable too. Way to go Playboy

Luxor:

Bizarre night on Playboy. Sandy Babe Abroad episodes were all H/C apart from one, then the film of 'sandy does hardcore' was of course S/C. Then back to the Sandy Babe Abroad episodes after the film finishes and they are back to H/C.
 
Still, one (almost) full night of G/G H/C is an improvement.

Caledoniaguy :

I hope everyone is going to contact Playboy to let them know you approve, as well as requesting lots more of course :) It may help the cause if they can show OFCOM that their viewers are quite happy with HC.
 
Next stop, full R18 male/female? Probably not, with current guidelines, but we live in hope!

Grawth:

The Sport channels (989 and 991) appear to have bottled out at the moment too. Previously, on at least two days a week, they have broadcast as part of their live interactive show penetration by fingers and dildos. In all cases, the lead presenter was either Faye or Rebecca (who also features on Babecast). A couple of weeks ago Faye went on holiday, and last week Rebecca disappeared. Strength of programming has immediately dropped back to what it was.

    Soft Choices

Melon Farmers Discussions from Shaun, Kit & Mogg

Shaun:

So far, this is the third day, where the Adult Channel has been TOTALLY softcore... If anyone has been persuaded to subscribe, on the basis of previous discussions about explicitness of content - Wait a while... Only material I wouldn't be too upset that my children saw, is currently being shown...

Mogg:

A slight correction sunday night had a harder programme just after midnight and half of the harder programmes have not been as scheduled...I wonder if they have had their knuckles rapped?

Kit

As far as I noticed, there has been no significantly harder programmes shown on TAC since the end of last week. There certainly did not appear to be anything on Sunday night that differed from the (very dull) norm. Which programme did you think was harder than normal as I watched the channel on Sunday and did not notice it?
 
There has been a significant change in the past few days on TAC, Spice and TVX though. They are suddenly filling the gaps between their programmes with far more adverts than before. TVX has always been guilty of this but the other channels seem to spend so much time advertising some of the worst softcore programmes they have shown for some time ('Weapons of Mass Satisfaction' in my opinion being the worst offender).
 
It suddenly feels like we have gone back in time and are being treated to the type of programmes shown 3 or 4 years ago when fellatio scenes consisted of analysing the actress' hair style or the pimples on a guy's arse and sex consisted mainly of looking at the aforementioned hairy arse going back and forward (and let's not forget about the grimacing faces that seem to remind the viewer more of when they last had constipation, not sex!). After the recent changes though, these type of programmes should have been consigned to the dustbin of our repressive past, not be shown as the highlight of the night's viewing.
 
As Shaun has said, anyone who has been considering subscribing to these channels with the expectation of stronger material than previously shown should hold fire at present. It may be too early to say that TAC has backed away from it's policy of showing R18-type material but it is beginning to look that way. There has been no announcement on Ofcom's site and so it is unclear why nothing decent has been shown in the past few days. Perhaps the new month will mean an improved schedule but I am no longer hopeful of this.

    Hard Choices

Melon Farmers Discussions from from Kit & Grawth

Kit:

I thought I'd post a few comments on the current state of the main adult channels at present, particularly for those people who have heard of the recent changes and are trying to work out which channel would be best to subscribe to:

• Playboy - Unchanged from anything it has shown in the past couple of years except that it now shows some of softest of old Adult Channel shows (mainly Viv Thomas / John Chalk productions);

• Adult Channel - Now showing one hardcore lesbian episode per night after midnight. These vary from simple masturbation (solo) episodes, mainly softcore productions with a few harder shots thrown in and also full R18 strength episodes. The rest of the night's viewing is unchanged from previously and now seems even more pointless given that they have crossed the boundary of showing penetration on one episode;

• Spice Extreme - Probably the most disappointing channel of all. With the changes to it's sister channel, The Adult Channel, viewers would have expected the Spice Channel to at least emulate the one episode a night experiment. Indeed they did show a hardcore version of an episode of 'Real Russian Dolls' over a week ago. To my knowledge this is the only time they have shown anything other than their normal content. A different episode of 'Real Russian Dolls' was broadcast a week later (last night) and was the soft version. Spice promised to be different but I presume the majority of viewers have, like myself, been very disappointed with it and wish they hadn't bothered to subscribe;

• Television X - TVX is definitely lagging well behind it's competitors in content. Despite the changes in other channels recently, it has resolutely remained unchanged in the past couple of years. Although it has split into three separate channels on satellite, only TVX2 was worth watching as it tapped into the relatively untouched amateur market (but suffers from too many repeats). Unless it changes quickly, it is likely to attract few new viewers and may only survive short-term as it has a policy of having a minimum subscription period of 12 months. It has been suggested that it cannot change it's content because it is on Freeview but as it has three channels on satellite it could change the setup of these so that at least one channel can show harder content;

• Xplicit XXX - It has the strongest content apart from the one episode per night on the Adult Channel. It comes as close to the boundary between soft and hardcore without showing actual penetration. As a new subscriber, based mainly on comments made elsewhere on this site, I am disappointed though as I thought that they would show the same type of content as TAC shows once a night but they do not go that far. There also seems to be far too many repeats and I can't recall having seen too many new episodes in the past week despite the fact I've only subscribed for a few weeks!

Obviously, for those with the option of receiving foreign channels via their satellite, none of the above channels come close to what is broadcast from Europe. However, for the rest of us, it is important that those channels that are broadcasting stronger content attract the most viewers in order to change those who are not. Otherwise, if the Adult Channel has no real competition, we will be limited to one decent (lesbian only) show a night until Ofcom finally deal with the issue of content on TV. After all, if TAC can show hardcore content once a night without any obvious reaction from Ofcom, it's competitors should realise that they must quickly follow suit or lose out.

Grawth:

• The two Sport channels (989 and 991) have for a while now (several weeks) been pushing the boundaries as well. On 991 they have a 2 hour live show from 11 to 1 every night. Usually it is the same simulated stuff that is seen almost everywhere else, but once or twice a week, usually Wednesday's, they do allow the camera to show dildo penetration and close ups of lesbian licking. However, the 2 hours is not full to the brim of this kind of action, and at 4 quid a night it's not cheap. Not sure why, but 989 starts at 11 with an hour of amateur stuff and then joins the last hour of the live show.

• I agree that XplicitXXX seems to be the one that is pushing hardest against the male/female boundaries, but they are definitely repeating an awful lot of their shows on a regular basis. They claim that you will not see the same episode on the same night again, but that doesn't stop them from showing a particular episode on Friday this week, Thursday next week, Wednesday the week after and so on. Best of the current crop seems to be the Coach House series and the Anal Cream Pie series.

• TVX certainly lags behind at the moment, but they may have been caught out by TAC's change in policy. I would look for them to respond in the near future otherwise they do risk losing a large chunk of their audience as you say.

• One other new Channel has appeared recently - Live XXX TV on 995. It's another of those register first and then pay nightly channels, but judging by the claims of the freeview I suspect it will be similar to the 2 hour show on channel 991. Haven't tried it yet but if I do I'll let you know.

If anyone has any updates on the state of channels like Private Girls, Private Blue, Amateur Babes or the Red Hot channels I'd be interested.

    Spice Xtreme Gets Harder

Things are looking up

Spice Xtreme has joined the Adult Channel in transmitting girl/girl hardcore. Not too surprising given how closely the two channels are linked.

And from the Melon Farming Discussions it has been confirmed that the Adult Channel on cable is also showing the same girl/girl hardcore as on satellite

    The Adult Channel Gets Harder

Things are looking up

From the Forums on Digital Spy:

Did anyone see The Adult Channel last night (8th April) around 12:08am, after the Freeview? It was the hardest content I have ever seen on British TV before, I was amazed Some of the programmes got swapped around, and they were showing Ally Mcsqueel , think that's what it was called. Also when showing this they dropped there logo for the whole programme. I'm not sure how much I can explain on here without getting into trouble, but it was quite graphic with Vegetables

And from Kit on The Melon Farmers Discussion Page

Did anyone catch the Adult Channel last night? (11th April) They showed an explicit version of an episode of 00 Heaven. Although it is hardly the most hardcore of shows, it was well beyond the normal content and I am guessing that it was the R18 version. I wonder if this was shown in error or whether they are testing the water by showing this episode. The response of Ofcom on this will be interesting as they generally seem to have been putting the issue of content on the back burner (I presume they will find out about this broadcast). This must surely force them to make some kind of decision. With the financial backing the Adult Channel have from Playboy they would be able to challenge any adverse decision by Ofcom in the courts. The rest of the night was the usual dull Adult Channel stuff but it will be interesting to see what they show in the next few days.

    Broadcasting standards drift towards R18

From  www.ofwatch.org.uk .

Despite the fact that there has been no official change in policy, no reissuing of the programme code and no comment from Ofcom, broadcasting standards for adult content have changed noticeably in the last year. This has been possible because the existing code is vague and contradictory and some of the adult service broadcasters feel less intimidated by Ofcom than they did of the ITC.

In 2002 the Adult Channel was severely reprimanded by the Independent Television Commission for showing what it euphemistically called "unacceptably explicit anatomical details", which is regulator speak for a women's inner labia having been shown on television. This reprimand was the result of a complaint from a single viewer. With the very real threat of 5 figure fines being imposed on any broadcaster who crossed the ITC's line of acceptability, it was hardly surprising that broadcasters were not very keen to push the limits after that. That was until it became clear that the ITC had lost interest in persecuting adult service broadcasters.

By late 2003 this time had arrived with the ITC firmly focused on the hand over to Ofcom at the end of the year.  So some of the braver broadcasters decided to test the waters. At some point last year XplicitXXX started transmission of the previously forbidden content, although explicit penetration was still considered too dangerous to show, as this would have been in direct violation of the R18 prohibition.

The old ITC rules state that free-to-air services are permitted to broadcast 18-certificate material late at night and that subscription services can show material that is stronger than is permitted on free-to-air services. But the rules also state that R18 content is prohibited on all channels at all times. The ITC had previously managed this paradox by a private arrangement telling broadcasters what was or was not acceptable. When Ofcom took over in 2004 they appeared to be much more interested in public service broadcasting and mega TV mergers than in the micro management of satellite porn, so "explicit anatomical details" are now a standard part of broadcasts every night on at least two channels. What was previously slightly stronger than "18" is now slightly weaker than "R18".

As far as Ofwatch is aware there have been no complaints whatsoever concerning the new more explicit content, indeed all of the viewers contacted to date have been delighted. Whether this lack of complaints will continue probably depends more on Mediawatch than the viewers, as Mediawatch were responsible for the previous "complaint" about the Adult Channel in 2002. It is to be hoped that Ofcom will see through any Mediawatch based complaint as a simple case of gaming the regulator. Perhaps even Mediawatch can now see the writing on the wall. With the existing content already showing cunnilingus, inner labia, varying degrees of penile erection and ejaculate, there can be little doubt that R18 content is generally accepted by the viewers and that its introduction is now inevitable.

    A Free Move

From  Transponder News

Hot Bird, 13 degrees East:

Free XTV has stopped on 11.137 GHz h and is now only on Hot Bird 3, 12.207 GHz h

    Australian X

Based on an a sensationalist article from  The Sydney Morning Herald

Overseas satellite television broadcasters are beaming 24-hour pornography channels - including hard-core broadcasts - for subscriptions of $5 a week.

The Herald has confirmed that European and Asian-based broadcasters are buying time on an Australian satellite service, New Skies Satellite, to telecast X-rated pornography on channels with titles such as Free-XTV, Blue Kiss, InXWorld, Sexz TV and Back Room.

Distributors are advertising the service, which they say is "like pay TV", for a $450 installation cost including a decoder box, and an annual $250 subscription. The promoters claim none of the licensing authorities - the Australian Communications Authority and the Australian Broadcasting Authority - nor the Office of Film and Literature Classification have the jurisdiction to monitor or ban the content.

New Skies is owned by a Dutch firm but has an operating company in Sydney. A spokesman confirmed yesterday its frequency was licensed in Australia by the ACA but defended its broadcast policy: We're just a wholesaler. We have nothing to do with the content.

One Perth-based distributor, The Mod Shop, advertises permanent access to 24/7 broadcast of hardcore erotic movies covering all genres: straight, fetishism, interracial, lesbo, orgies, hardcore adult entertainment. When contacted yesterday, a staff member said the service was legal because it was not covered by any Australian laws. We are telling our customers that it's the same as watching an X-rated video at home. You can watch it in privacy, provided it is not shown publicly or to minors. We have been dealing with the ACA and ABA and the censorship board says it doesn't fall within their jurisdiction."

A spokesman for the ABA said the board had discussed the issue last Thursday, had sought legal advice and was about to launch an investigation: We are aware of these services and have decided to instigate an investigation. We have legal advice that the services, though broadcast from overseas, still fall within the Broadcasting Services Act.

A spokesman for the Office of Film and Literature Classification said that because the services were broadcast rather than on film, they did not fall within its jurisdiction. A spokesman for the ACA said: We license the carrier, but not in terms of content.

The office of the Minister for Communications, Daryl Williams, said it was aware of the controversy and was investigating. Those who provide services that broadcast programs to Australia from another country have the same obligations under the BSA as broadcasters who provide the same service locally, a spokeswoman said.

    New Gays on the Block

From Transponder News

EUROBIRD 1, 28,5 degrees East: 11.585 GHz h, encoded in Videoguard

Another presumably softcore gay-channel called Gay TV is testing around transponder Gaydate TV and Gaydar Radio are two more channels for same audience.

    Softcore Movers

From Digital Spy

The adult channels available on a monthly basis have relocated EPG positions on Sky this morning.

Playboy TV, The Adult Channel, Spice Xtreme, Television X, Television X 2 and Television X 3 have all moved around to group channels from the same company next to each other and create more space for future additions.

The channels were previously available on 968, 969, 972, 970, 971 and 974 respectively.

Below is a list of the new channel numbers:

Playboy TV - 966
The Adult Channel - 967
Spice Xtreme - 968
Television X - 969
Television X 2 - 970
Television X 3 - 971

Another related change saw Spice TV on channel 977, which is the nightly pay-per-view version of Spice Xtreme, be renamed the same as its monthly namesake.

    Hustled

Based on an article from AVN

Hustler TV On Demand will be appearing on American cable systems in April and Hustler TV will follow closely behind it. We're in discussions with various M.S.O.'s [multiple system operators, a broad term for companies that own more than one cable system] right now, Michael Klein, executive vice president of LFP Broadcasting told AVN .com.

Hustler TV will be a pay-per-view (PPV) channel and Hustler TV on Demand will be a video-on-demand channel (VOD). Hustler TV On Demand will roll out first, initially offering a 50-hour package of programming per month with a 50 percent refresh rate. Smaller packages will also be available. The VOD offering could be available in April.

Hustler TV, the PPV offering, will launch no later than this summer, with plans of offering 3-hour and 6-hour blocks on a 24/7 basis.  Between Hustler Video, LFP Video, and VCA Pictures over 25 new titles are being made monthly and all will be exclusive to Hustler TV and Hustler TV On Demand. A broad range of other content providers will flesh out the programming schedules. Initially titles will be offered in the XX format, however other formats such as XX1/2 and XXX will also be available.

Hustler TV will offer original programming such as the hardcore version of Can You be a Porn Star? and Reel Joe , a show where six porn stars compete for the attentions of an av erage guy.