Euro MTV Fined $485k for 'Extensive Offensiveness'

by Jarrett Martineau | June 5, 2008 at 01:50 pm

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Remember Aphex Twin? For one, I can't believe that MTV is getting fined almost $500,000 for playing a video from, oh, I don't know...nine years ago. But, then again, after watching the first nine seconds of the video, I think you might undertand why Ofcom's knickers have been in a twist.

Get your stunning Chris Cunningham "Windowlicker" fix right here. (And, yeah, it's pretty much entirely NSFW).

MTV Networks Europe has been fined a total of £255,000 ($484,500) by U.K. media regulator Ofcom for "widespread and persistent" breaches of its broadcasting code by four of its channels.
The Viacom-owned operator will have to pay the following penalties: TMF £80,000 ($152,000), MTV France £35,000 ($66,500), MTV UK £80,000 ($152,000) and MTV Hits £60,000 ($114,000).

The "highly offensive language and material" was broadcast before the 9pm family-viewing watershed.

Auds complained about a number of shows. They included: repeated use of the words "motherfucker", "fuck you" and "fuck" in a music video by Aphex Twin for the song "Windowlicker" on TMF, and racist and homophobic text messages aired by MTV France in "Belge Chat."

Additionally TMF screened a trailer for the reality skein "Totally Jodie Marsh" on seven occasions between 9.48am and 3.15pm on July 24 last year containing the sentence: "I just don't want you settling down with some fucking wanker from a modeling agency."

Other breaches identified by Ofcom included a 4.30pm broadcast of MTV UK show "Totally Boyband" in 2006 featuring "extensive offensive language."