Content code for OTT, VOD and Niche services

Content code for OTT, VOD and Niche services. By Anil shah (1937323).

Why did I choose this topic?. Over the holidays, I was attempting to search for a movie called The Last Temptation of Christ, on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other platforms. I could not find the title on any platform, and went to do a quick online search, and found out that it had been banned in Singapore due to religious reasons This was because it depicted Jesus as having worldly desires,which would in turn, wound the feelings/offend Christians, and cause religious disharmony..

About the movie. The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It portrayed the struggles that Jesus faced, such as worldly desires and temptations However, the depictions were biblically inaccurate, and the film caused major public outcry, and many Christians found the film offensive. The controversy was so bad that Scorsese was targeted by death threats significant enough that he had to use bodyguards during public appearances for a few years..

Content code. Racial and Religious Harmony 4.5 Programmes must: (a) be kept secular and not be of a proselytic nature; (b) present references to race and religion accurately and in a dignified and sensitive manner; (c) not denigrate or be likely to offend the sensitivities of any racial or religious group;.

CONTENT CODE. and (d) not incite or be likely to incite racial and/or religious intolerance or misunderstanding must not be broadcast. 4.6 Racial and religious stereotyping should be avoided..

Content code. I was unable to find the film on Netflix as the content code has a specific requirement for films on Religious and Racial Harmony. The film went against the requirement that it should present references to race and religion accurately and in a dignified and sensitive manner; and not denigrate or be likely to offend the sensitivities of any racial or religious group; As this film did not portray Christ in a sensitive light, it had to be removed..

POLICY REASONS. The policy is in place to protect racial and religious harmony in Singapore As we are a multi racial and religious society, every religious and racial group should be protected, and portrayed in a respectful manner in order to avoid conflicts and wounding of feelings Without the laws in place, many films could portray religious groups in bad lights, and this may cause misunderstandings amongst communities, leading to disharmony and even more dire consequences such as racial or religious riots..

Overseas. The film can still be watched on some platforms such as Hulu, and is not out rightly banned in many countries like the USA and Australia. As the content code in some countries act as a advisory and not a requirements, it is up to platforms to decide if they want to carry the show or not. The ratings of the film in those countries are also not too high, as it does not out rightly portray sexual scenes or vulgar words. Controversy is also much more escalated, with death threats and even a cinema being set on fire due to the film..

Conclusion. I believe that the media laws in Singapore do help to protect Singaporeans. As a society that aims to be united, some films could cause disharmony amongst racial and religious communities, which would defeat the harmony in Singapore By banning such films and having a strict content code, Singapore can maintain harmony and avoid conflicts, and even threats to national security such as riots. We also avoid violent controversies that could be a threat to national security, such as the time where a cinema was set on fire in Paris while it was screening the film..

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