Skip to main content

Fears over porn broadcast in Nigeria as Star Times acquires S-Africa Top TV

There are fears that broadcast of pornography on pay TV channels may become real in Nigeria, following acquisition of majority equity in On Digital Media, operating as TopTV by Star Times.

On Digital Media (operating as TopTV) was recently licensed to broadcast three adult content channels—Playboy TV, Desire TV, and Private Spice in South Africa.

Earlier this month, shareholders of On Digital Media, ODM, voted to accept the business rescue plan offered by Chinese company, Star Times. ODM has been distressed and in business rescue since last October.

The development has raised palpable fears that the Chinese pay TV operator may include the Top TV porn channels in its Nigerian bouquet offerings.

But spokesman of StarTimes Nigeria, Ayokunle Idowu, in a telephone conversation said his company had no such plans.

“We have no such plans. Apart from that, I’m sure the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, will not approve such,” he said.

But aggressive marketing of its T-1 decoders at N3,000 fuel fears that addition of the hard core channels will drive up subscription.

However, the bail-out of ODM by StarTimes has been tarnished by massive public outcry, notably from South African religious bodies, which find Top TV association with pornography abhorrent.

Late last month, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, ICASA,  gave TopTV the approval to air three pornographic channels. The channels Playboy TV, Desire TV, and Private Spice.

ICASA claimed it gave the approval following extensive public consultation process it undertook prior to granting the application by ODM.

“The authority upholds the view that there is no law of general application prohibiting the production and distribution of adult content in the republic. Only the production and distribution of child pornography is expressly prohibited by law,”  added ICASA.

The authorisation limits the broadcast of the adult content from 8pm to 5am.

The approval for the X-rated channels also sparked the anger of the South Africa’s Muslim Judicial Council, MJC, which described it as “inconsistent”.  Nabeweya Mallick, spokesperson for the MJC, said the council was “disappointed,” at ICASA’s insensitivity to the rights of tastes of religious and race groups and cultures.

She said: “We feel they have really failed the standards set by ICASA. If one is sensitive to the rights of these groups… what about the rights of women?” she questioned. The justification for allowing this to take place was “inadequate”, as TopTV stated that the only complaints and submission they received were on moral grounds.“


Technorati Tags:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A MASON IN NIGERIA

 After all i have said about this fraternity if you are still interested in becoming a mason there are just simply ways in which you can do that, but inspite of my post i am neither encouraging nor discouraging you all i am doing is just to let you know more about this frat and there's more to come about those who have joined, the so called stars like jay-z, kanye west etc i guess its just 7 simple ways to join and off you go  Are there things you want to accomplish in your life? Are there ways you want to enrich yourself? Do you enjoy being with people you like and respect? As a Freemason, you’ll find friendship and fraternity. You’ll develop life skills like self-confidence, leadership, and effective communication. You’ll learn to work as part of a team  and to better yourself as you help others. Think about taking the first step into becoming a Mason. It is widely thought that one must be invited to become a Freemason or that Freemasonry is so exclusive as to be b...

13 Places You Should Visit In before the end of 2013

  Wikimedia Commons It's more than halfway through 2013 and even though the summer is winding down, there's still plenty of time to book a trip to a great destination. We looked at major developments, cultural trends, and global festivals to find the hottest places to travel around the world in 2013. There are vast untouched landscapes that offer incredible outdoor experiences, cities that are experiencing a cultural rebirth, and up-and-coming destinations that offer great deals and few tourists. London, England Since Kate Middleton gave birth to Prince George Alexander Louis last week , England has been in the national spotlight, and is expecting a tourism boost. But that's not the only reason to visit the UK right now. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London came and went, but many of the buildings, restaurants, hotels and venues that sprouted up to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors who came for the Olympics still stand. Several new building...

50 life lessons you can still learn now that your young.....

You’re stronger than you think you are. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. There is nothing to hold you back except you. You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s a matter of wanting it bad enough. No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible. You are limited only by your own imagination. Let it fly. Perception is reality. Your instincts can be trusted. There is only one question to ask yourself: “What would you do if you were not afraid?” It’s often hard to tell just how close you are to success. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake. Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart. You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how ...