Amazon Falls Foul Of Ofcom Code For First Time
deadline.comAmazon has fallen foul of Ofcom‘s code in the UK for the first time. In a move that could become a more regular occurrence under the new Media Bill, which passed two weeks ago, streamer Prime Video was found in breach of the part of the code that prohibits harmful content on what Ofcom calls on-demand programme services (ODPS).
The breach relates to a 2022 Filipino movie, Pamasahe, which was made available on Prime several months ago. The film is about a penniless mother who journeys to find her husband in Manila but has to “use her body to get to her destination,” according to the synopsis.
Ofcom received a complaint about the film, which was rated 18+ by Prime Video, from a viewer who was, amongst other things, “concerned about the inclusion of a baby in scenes depicting sexual activity between adults.” According to Ofcom, the viewer sent a letter to Amazon but received no response and couldn’t get a satisfactory response on the phone so took their complaint to the regulator.
Ofcom said it sought advice from the British Board of Film Classification, which advised that, in its view, “the sequence…contains a frame that would contravene the Protection of Children Act 1978….on the basis that it shows a child in the same frame as sexual activity.” The BBFC contacted Amazon and the streamer has since removed the movie in the UK.
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