Subscription television network M-Net apologised on Thursday for broadcasting a show containing adult conduct at a time when children were likely to be watching

In a statement, spokeswoman Lani Lombard said: “M-Net apologises for broadcasting the insert ‘Hollywood’s Best Directors’ on its main channel on Sunday, 21 October.”

M-Net was fined R20,000 for the transgression.

It also apologised for screening an episode of the horror genre mini-series Bag of Bones on its M-Net Movies One channel, a month earlier.

“The screening of inappropriate content on any of our channels before the watershed is an anomaly and serious offence within the company, which always necessitates immediate internal investigations.”

Lombard said the company had put measures in place to prevent the error from happening again even before the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) ruled on the complaints.

“M-Net accepts, without any reservations, the ruling of the BCCSA in both cases as well as the sanctions imposed.”

Earlier, the BCCSA said it received a complaint from Gareth Eggers about the M-Net broadcast.

Eggers approached the BCCSA because the show was rated only PG13.

“There are multiple stills in the featured directors’ previous movies that show female nudity [breasts], implied sex, as well as one instance of female genitalia [the infamous Sharon Stone moment in Basic Instinct],” he wrote in his complaint.

“I find this unacceptable and negligent, that this content is shown on a Sunday during family time.”

The show was aired at 11.30am.

M-Net responded that one of its employees responsible for arranging programme schedules had been negligent in allowing the show to be broadcast at that time.

Subsequent to similar BCCSA findings, M-Net said it had taken steps to minimise the opportunity for such errors.

These included additional staff training and disciplinary action against staff who deviated from standard operating procedures.

“We raise these matters to assure both the Commission and the complainant that the issue of compliance with the code of conduct is not taken lightly at M-Net.”

Just prior to the screening of the offending show, M-Net had increased the number of its channels and there was a corresponding increase of work for those responsible for scheduling, M-Net said.

It apologised to Eggers and said the responsible employee had been disciplined.

Eggers described the response he received from MultiChoice, M-Net’s sister company, as “shocking”.

MultiChoice claimed it could not be held accountable, and advised him to ensure that the parental control was activated on his system.

It later apologised, before the Commission, and said the response was issued by an employee who was not authorised to do so.

The BCCSA said it appreciated the measures M-Net had put in place to reduce the chances of such errors recurring.

“Given the large number of channels managed by M-Net, we agree that it is in fact remarkable that more errors are not made.”

By Sapa