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On Digital Media (ODM) plans to introduce a Double PIN for the planned porn bouquet it wants to run on its TopTV pay-TV service as the security measure to prevent access to under-aged viewers of the erotic sex channels it wants to broadcast.
During TopTV's previous application a year ago which was eventually denied by the South African broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) - partly because TopTV failed to show at the public hearing to answer any of Icasa's questions regarding how the security and PIN system would work and be implemented - TopTV proposed only a single PIN for TopTV subscribers to access the pornographic content.
The struggling TopTV, currently under business rescue under the Companies Act, has launched a second attempt to introduce a trio of titillating channels as a separate bouquet which the second-run pay-TV operator believes will bring in the money. TopTV wants to launch the three TV channels Playboy TV, Desire TV and Private Spice.
"All the material will be blocked with a double layered PIN," says TopTV in its new application.
TopTV wants to run the porn channels for 24 hours a day in South Africa although broadcasting regulations don't currently permit that. TopTV argues that to only run them "between 20:00 and 05:00 will not be suitable and/or appealing to the majority of the audience interested in the content". "It will not be practical to only schedule some of the material outside of the watershed period as all material will be of an adult nature," says TopTV.
All programmes on the erotic channels will carry a restriction of "at least R18" says TopTV and the programmes will only be viewable "once the subscriber has inserted the double PIN mechanism".
"We believe that the creation of a double PIN block with an automatic block on all content will be sufficient to protect children against exposure to material suitable to adult audiences," says TopTV.
"ODM can only go so far in its endeavours to protect the rights of children and to ensure that no unwanted influences are made available to them in the critical developmental stages," says TopTV.
The South African public and all interested parties can comment on TopTV's porn channel plans with correspondence which has to be sent to Ndondo Dube, Broadcasting Licencing Unit, Licencing and Compliance Division, Block D, Pinmill Farm, 164 Katherine Street, Sandton Johannesburg or email pndube@icasa.org.za or fax 011 566 3200.
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