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Bad news on Bad News Bears classification for TEN

The little league gets big league networks into trouble with ACMA.

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bnbWhen Channel TEN screened the 2005 Billy Bob Thornton movie Bad News Bears in January this year it incorrectly classified the film as PG instead of M.

ATV Melbourne and BCV Regional Victoria were found to have breached the Code of Practice over the film having frequent sexual references and very frequent mild coarse language. The language, particularly in combination with verbal sexual references, and its often aggressive use in the context of insults, pushed the film over the line from PG to M, according to ACMA.

Originally classified M by the Classification Board for theatrical release, the film was modified by the licensee for broadcast as PG but the cuts were inadequate to fit with the timezone.

“When modifying films for broadcast, licensees must ensure that they are modified in accordance with the guidelines so that they are suitable for broadcast at particular times,” said ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman. “The film contained sexual references and coarse language which exceeded acceptable levels for the PG classification.”

TEN also failed to provide a written response within 30 working days to the complainant.

The film will now be edited accordingly for future use, and TEN will distribute the findings to classification staff. The network has also reviewed its complaints-handling system.

Viewers getting inadequate responses from networks continues to be an on-going issue.

It is disappointing that every time this is found to have taken place a network simply reviews its current system. Perhaps it’s time ACMA implemented a universal system across the networks rather than following up on errors after they have occured. If ACMA guidelines are supposed to represent community standards, the community would surely like some answers to their complaints.

The system at the moment is a bit like a Britney Spears song.

12 Responses

  2. @Jason: Channel Ten must have censored 90210. Ten have censored many shows over the years in order to keep them in a family-friendly PG timeslot (e.g. Smallville, Charmed etc).

  3. I remember watching this.
    It started at 1830.
    I remember laughing and saying, are they allowed to play a show with this much swearing in this time slot?
    TBH, the only good part of the movie was BBT constant swearing

  4. One one hand I have sympathy for Ten, there’s very little consistency between the ACMA guidelines and the OFLC guidelines, just look at Californication being given an MA15+ and uncut on DVD, but found to breach MA15+ and heavily censored on TV.

    Look at all the very PG rated shows being given M ratings on DVD — Scrubs, 30 Rock….Murder She Wrote? Really? Do you think there would have been a string of complaints in the 1980s for it being “incorrectly” rated as PGR and not AO?

    On the other hand, unless it’s editing an R18+ down to an MA15+ for broadcast (or in Foxtel’s case, just pretend its an MA15+ and not edit it), they should just leave the films intact.

    With the “PG” timezone being earlier than it used to (7pm weeknights, 6pm on weekends is it?) and more and more PG rated material being deemed as M, the 8:30pm M timezone should also be relaxed, to 8pm at the very least, but maybe 7:30pm on weekends?

    Look at how many parents have no problem sending their kids to the “low end M” movies, ie. X-Mens and Harry Potters and such.

  7. This is ridiculous – is anything ever going to be rated PG ever again? How many movies and show get slapped with an M for next to no reason, for the last decade program classifications have been erring on the side of wowsering to the point where the only things allowed before 8.30 are now reality shows and factuals – it’s a pathetic state of affairs.

    The OFLC is even worse – Just as an example – right in front of me is the DVD of 5th Season 90210 which aired in it’s entirety at 7.30pm on a Sunday night with a PG rating – the OFLC has rated it M for Mature Themes, Drug Use, Drug References and Violence – that’s all true but all of that was fine for a PG rating 13 years ago – how the hell have we regressed since??

  9. “The network has also reviewed its complaints-handling system”… so clearly the last other half-dozen reviews of the complaints handling system haven’t worked… come on ACMA, sure let them off if it’s a first offense, but repeat offenders surely justify some action.

  11. Why are the networks left so unaccountable by the ACMA? Regulation for TV in this country is severely lacking (although I am talking bigger picture – I do not advocate censorship, but especially in this case where a movie was passed off as kiddies viewing and clearly wasn’t then things should be tougher). The ’80s are over, the media families are all but gone, it’s time to lay down some ground rules and make sure they are followed.

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