Germany

[DE] Decision on Telephone Sex Advertising and Sex Clips

IRIS 2003-7:1/12

Michael Knopp

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

At its meeting on 19 and 20 May 2003, the Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten (Congress of Land Media Authority Directors - DLM) decided that the Landesmedienanstalten (Land Media Authorities) and the Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for Youth Protection in the Media - KJM), which was set up in April this year, should act to combat the increasing number and form of telephone sex advertisements and sex clips on television.

The decision was taken on the basis of the survey of "telephone sex advertisements and sex clips" carried out by the Gemeinsame Stelle Jugendschutz, Programm, Medienkompetenz und Bürgermedien (Joint Body for youth protection, programmes, media competence and public media - GSJP). This survey had been commissioned by the DLM on 18 November 2002 in response to the increase and emergence of new types of sex clips. The survey covered 17 channels. On 10 of those channels, a total of 125 separate breaches of the pornography advertising ban were suspected. Of these, 26 were thought to constitute possible breaches of the ban on pornography. The survey also revealed a rapid increase in the frequency of telephone sex advertisements and sex clips. Since they were broadcast repetitively on different channels, it was now virtually impossible for viewers to avoid them. In many cases, the advertisements had referred to further content on the Internet. The survey therefore offered further evidence of the convergence of television and the Internet. The question of responsibility for the content of advertised Internet sites remains unresolved.