KANISA GEORGE
Over the last five years, the world of television has shape-shifted into an oversized, colossus variety package. No longer are we confined to scheduled programming on local TV or Spider-Man reruns that has become synonymous with the HBO name. Instead, the world of TV is literally in the palm of our hands.
Streaming platforms are everywhere, with available content to suit just about everyone. Most of what we see on TV and streaming platforms like Hulu has been crafted, edited, and retouched for an intended audience. But each movie, series or daytime talk show has been categorised and rated, and most comply with standards and codes.
These standards vary based on the medium used, and stricter standards are commonly found in broadcast TV. Last Sunday's Oscar fallout properly put into perspective the high standards that must be followed when broadcasting live.
While many of us, thanks to the internet, saw and heard what actually went down between Will Smith and Chris Rock, ABC and its network affiliates ensured that, at least from their end, there was radio silence.
This, thanks to tape delays which have been a staple of live broadcasts. They give stations just a bit of breathing room to bleep embarrassing situations or content that could draw a fine from regulatory bodies like the Federal Communications Commission.
Broadcast regulations vary by country, but the United States, according to one writer, has a reputation for being stricter about expletives and nudity compared to other countries.
After all, the uncensored version of last Sunday's event was made available largely in part to countries like Australia, which aired the unedited version.
We now have access to everything online, and streaming platforms have all but made expletives and scenes that feature private parts "normative."
Should broadcasting standards be reconsidered in light of the new standard of entertainment?
Free-to-air broadcast television, like TV 6 and some subscription-television broadcasters like CNN made possible for viewing through companies like Digicel are subject to slightly different standards to, let's say, Netflix or Apple TV.
In TT, the broadcasting sector is monitored by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. Created by the Telecommunications Act Chapter 47:31, the Authority is required to regulate broadcasting services consistently with sections 4 and 5 of the Constitution and guide the development of the broadcasting sector.
Broadcasting codes, in summary, exist to protect viewers and listeners from harmful and offensive content while adequately balancing a broadcaster's freedom to make challenging programmes. In addition, these rules strive to ensure that children are protected and that discriminatory content isn't shared. One example of this is the watershed principle. Followed rigidly by most regions, TV programming that might be unsuitable for children can freely be broadcast only at 9 pm.
Section 79 of the Act requires that the Authority, subject to an affirmative resol
