La Chiave Del Placere, an Italian-dubbed film originally released under the title “The Key to Sex,” relates the story of a man who invites his friends over to engage in sex acts while house-sitting for his boss. According to the CBSC, the broadcast “depicted men and women in various states of undress and engaging in different types of sexual activity,” and was broadcast at 2am on September 24, 2006.
Article 4 of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Sex-Role Portrayal Code states: “Television and radio programming shall refrain from the exploitation of women, men and children. Negative or degrading comments on the role and nature of women, men or children in society shall be avoided. Modes of dress, camera focus on areas of the body and similar modes of portrayal should not be degrading to either sex. The sexualization of children through dress or behaviour is not acceptable.”
The code also states that the rating icon which alerts viewers to adult content “is to be keyed over the first 15-16 seconds of the program…. For programs which run longer than one hour, the icon is to be repeated at the beginning of the second hour. These are minimal use standards; stations may wish to use the icons more frequently on programs with particularly sensitive content.”
After reviewing the complaint filed about La Chiave Del Placere, Telelatino’s response to that complaint, and the broadcast in question, the CBSC concluded that the broadcast was not in violation of Sex-Role Portrayal Code, but was in violation of the “frequency requirements” for the 18+ icon. The broadcast displayed the warning for only six seconds, and not the 15-16 seconds required by the code.
The viewer who filed the complaint also asserted that the rating information provided for the film — a complaint that the CBSC expressed sympathy for, but which it indicated was not part of their purview.
With respect to the inaccurate rating information, the CBSC stated “…it is unfortunate and confusing for viewers that cable and satellite television providers do not necessarily use the same ratings system as the broadcasters for the functioning of their digital blocking technologies. Since this is not a broadcast standards issue, the Council noted that viewers must familiarize themselves with the ratings and blocking technology available on their own equipment.”
