@xenon81 wrote:
@ZyloKai wrote:
@xenon81 wrote:
@ZyloKai wrote:
@himbo99 wrote:
Hello, just a quick question please, any idea why I have to put a PIN number in to watch Crystal Maze on Challenge? I've looked at the settings on my Sky Q box sky it is set at no age restrictions but it still requires a PIN to watch this particular programme. I am looking at a complete lifting of all restrictions which I thought I had done. Thanks for your help.
The episode may contain a word or phrase that would not be politically correct (PC) today and is now rated 12s instead of PG. You may not even have noticed. This may also be a result of current events. Sky seem to be very strict on things like this and any case that may be related to current events or anything slightly offensive will be either removed or given a higher rating. He did talk about his (pretend) "mother" and I think he mentioned a "girlfriend" too during the episodes. There was also references to alcohol too with bottles of wine and dinner.
As it's a free-to-air channel, it has to be suitable for children to watch alone, and I know that Richard O'Brien did conversations to the camera. He may have said something not PC then.
Yet exactly the same programme is being shown on Freeview (to a much bigger potential audience) with no PIN protection. I think it's just a mistake by Sky. If the programme was really unsuitable for daytime viewing Sky would be breaking Ofcom rules by showing it pre-watershed on a freeview channel that can't be PIN protected on that platform.
One may have an older version of Freeview that does not support the PIN protection during the day, or a non-Freeview brand third-party DTT receiver where PIN protection is not supported. Ofcom can't do anything about third-party receivers. However, if Freeview are not correctly PIN protecting their programmes, one could contact Ofcom to make a complaint or contact Freeview.
Freeview doesn't support the mandatory daytime PIN protection system at all. It doesn't matter what kind of receiver you're using. For that reason only encrypted channels on certain platforms like Sky and Virgin can show PIN protected content before 9pm.
As Challenge is available to everyone on Freeview either they're breaking Ofcom rules by showing unsuitable content before the watershed (very unlikely, Crystal Maze was a family show shown at 6pm in the 90s) or the EPG age rating on Challenge is incorrect.
I honestly doubt the 12 rating is incorrect. Sometimes when Alfred Hitchcock Presents is on Sky Arts, another free-to-air channel, some episodes are 12 rated. Yet on Freeview, Freesat, etc. it's broadcast as normal.
To reiterate; Sky can only comply with the channels they provide on their systems.
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Additionally, I was doing some research,
As Sky is a subscription-based service, they have to adhere to more stricter rules. This also applies to the likes of other subscription-based services like Virgin Media, EE TV (paid subscriptions)
However, as Freeview is a free-to-air service, the rules are less strict. Content rated 12 is allowed before the watershed as it may not be breaking Ofcom rules and it may be considered mild enough to air before 9pm as long as it still adheres to Ofcom rules.
So basically, (IMHO) Sky is a paid service that people probably expect a higher standard than Freeview, a free-to-air service that "is what it is".
Sky services I use:
- Sky Q in Ireland:
- ︎Sky Signature, Sky Cinema, Sky HD, Paramount+, Discovery+ (Standard)
- Sky Ultrafast Max (Fibre Internet)
- Sky Talk (VoIP)
- Sky Mobile
- Disney+
- Spotify (Premium)
Please treat everyone with respect.
🙂
