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SBS brings MA15+ forward to 8:30pm

SBS will now screen more-adult content 30 minutes earlier, with the return of Vikings.

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2014-02-28_2030SBS will introduce MA15+ classified content at 8:30pm from late March, beginning with the second season of Vikings, starring Australian Travis Fimmel.

It means content stronger in language, violence, nudity and adult themes, which had previously screened from 9pm can now be shown 30 minutes earlier.

Commercial broadcasters are restricted to MA15+ content from 9pm with Adult Violence from 9:30pm, but public broadcasters SBS and ABC adhere to a separate Code of Practice.

SBS is updating its Code of Practice for television (including NITV), radio and online to allow greater flexibility in the scheduling of key programs. It claims the change is in response to shifts in media consumption and greater availability of parental controls in digital televisions.

“SBS has a responsibility to ensure its policies keep pace with Australia’s converging media landscape and to maintain the highest standards of broadcasting excellence, integrity and editorial independence across all platforms,” said SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid.

“Our purpose is to inspire all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world, and by doing so contribute to a cohesive society. With the updated Codes of Practice and against the backdrop of a nation which continues to grow in cultural complexity, SBS will continue to deliver services and programs that are relevant to all Australians.”

The move will also enable SBS to screen more premium content from 8:30pm in the battle for ratings share. So far this year, SBS has struggled to see programming ‘cut through’ heated competition.

Daytime viewing periods are not affected by the change with MA15+ programs only permitted to be shown after 8:30pm and before 5:00am.

Vikings Season 2 will be the first MA15+ program to air in the revised timeslot, from Monday 24 March at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.

Excerpt from SBS Code of Practice Classification categories MA15+:

Themes: The treatment of themes with a high degree of intensity should not be gratuitous.
Violence: Generally, depictions of violence should not have a high impact.
In realistic treatments, detailed depictions of violence with a strong impact should:
• be infrequent, and
• not be prolonged, and
• not be gratuitous.
Depictions of violence in stylised treatments may be more detailed and more frequent if this does not increase the impact.
Depictions of sexual violence are permitted only if they are not frequent, prolonged, gratuitous or exploitative.
Sex: Sexual activity may be implied.
Depictions of nudity in a sexual context which contain detail should not be exploitative. Verbal references may be more detailed than depictions, if this does not increase the impact.
Language: Coarse language may be used. Coarse language that is very strong, aggressive or detailed should not be gratuitous.
Drug use: Drug use may be shown, but should not be promoted or encouraged. More detailed depictions should not have a high degree of impact.
Nudity: Nudity should be justified by context.

8 Responses

  1. Excellent to see this great show fast-tracked!
    I don’t care what time it’s on as we no longer watch anything “live”.
    Everything we watch is now recorded for later viewing, even the news!

  2. SBS got numbers for it Thursday. It will do worse against Love Child, Revenge, Secret and Lies and the ABC current affairs on Monday. But as Ten have found if you don’t have people watching your shows on Sunday and Monday nights you end up with no live viewers at all.

    If anyone watched SBS on a Monday night this could cause the government to regulate the ABC and SBS classification times.

    SBS could repeat it on SBS2 like have done with Orphan Black and Masters Of Sex. If they don’t I will be swapping DVR space with a housemate or watching it online.

  3. If they’re chasing ratings this is a strange way to go about it, premiering Vikings in probably the most-packed timeslot after Sunday 8.30pm with Love Child, Revenge, Secrets & Lies + the existing male-skewing Supernatural; Wednesday (even going against Blacklist) or Thursday would’ve been better nights to try this, as it is even fans of the first series like myself might find themselves struggling to find room on the PVR for it.

  8. I really hope that soon the Commercial channels can move there M rated material to early as well. Kind of silly that here shows like NCIS can’t be shown before 8:30pm, while in the US they can be shown at 8pm eastern and 7pm central times.

    The way Ten are structured it could benefit them, The Project 6-7pm, Biggest Loser/Masterchef 7-8pm (or whatever show) and then NCIS 8pm-9pm (or The Good Wife, Sleepy Hollow, Hawaii Five-0 etc). 7 and 9 would have to shuffle a bit more to change things now with the way they’re set-up with their hour news ACA and H&A, but TEN would be prime to use it.

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