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Sky TV advertising "Game Of Thrones" as family entertainment

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    BluescopeBluescope Posts: 3,432
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    People are getting very upset about SKY promoting this as Family Entertainment but I cannot find any reference to suggest they are. The show is on after the watershed 9.00pm and the EPG states the show contains "strong language & adult themes. "

    I can only assume the OP might have confused a general message about sky service being for the family rather than aimed directly at the show Game of Thrones.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,482
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    All I remember is a picture for game of thrones and the words family entertainment being used.

    ...and then OUTRAGE! :D

    I watch these shows too, to see what all the fuss is about usually, I find the majority of US cable shows to be very overrated, even the ones that aren't explicit (most of my favourite tv shows are non cable). The hbo method of sex is to place objects in front of the more hardcore aspects, so a man or woman will be performing oral sex, but there will be a wooden joist or a mug in front of the camera where the head is. It's hilarious and a little pathetic, usually addng nothing to the story. But people like it and it gets ratings apparently, so who I am to complain? My only concern is stuff like this will seep into other shows and media, as the suits notice it gets ratings, but that's not really anything to do with the OP.
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    BelfastGuy125BelfastGuy125 Posts: 7,515
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    This thread is absurd on every level.

    Firstly to take a criticism of your side point, society certainly HAS NOT deemed the ridiculous "porn filter" as necessary. That decision was taken by Cameron alone.

    Secondly. It is a very good show a very very good show. It is acted excellently, it has better writing than 99% of the rest of the junk on tv (Maybe because it is based on an incredibly successful series of novels). Nowhere has it been advertised for children, never. Keep the children away from something amazing.
    (Also it has added about £1 billion since it has been filmed in Northern Ireland to the local economy here, plus provided this place with invaluable PR)
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    BelfastGuy125BelfastGuy125 Posts: 7,515
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    dmuk wrote: »
    All I remember is a picture for game of thrones and the words family entertainment being used.

    ...and then OUTRAGE! :D

    I watch these shows too, to see what all the fuss is about usually, I find the majority of US cable shows to be very overrated, even the ones that aren't explicit (most of my favourite tv shows are non cable). The hbo method of sex is to place objects in front of the more hardcore aspects, so a man or woman will be performing oral sex, but there will be a wooden joist or a mug in front of the camera where the head is. It's hilarious and a little pathetic, usually addng nothing to the story. But people like it and it gets ratings apparently, so who I am to complain? My only concern is stuff like this will seep into other shows and media, as the suits notice it gets ratings, but that's not really anything to do with the OP.


    You'll hate US drama's if you just like watching all that twee British rubbish broadcast on Sunday night over here.
    GoT blows everything on UK TV out of the water. No channel over here could even pull anything like it off, nor have the balls to.
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    sheff71sheff71 Posts: 8,286
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    I'd be very surprised to see Sky promoting it as family entertainment - it's clear from the outset it's aimed at adults only.

    Having said that, I would think most teens have seen far more violent/pornographic stuff in films and online by now, and the little nudity in GoT is only a very small piece of a vast and ambitious show. It's style has similarities to Spartacus, but probably not as many sex scenes as that!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,488
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    You'll hate US drama's if you just like watching all that twee British rubbish broadcast on Sunday night over here.
    GoT blows everything on UK TV out of the water. No channel over here could even pull anything like it off, nor have the balls to.

    British TV would almost certainly have the balls to produce something like GoT, what it doesn't have is the money. Which is why the BBC go running to Starz or HBO every time they handle a big drama project and BBC America for all of their small drama projects. Almost invariably they drop them whilst the co-producer tries to continue.
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    BluescopeBluescope Posts: 3,432
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    I think it is worth pointing out that sex scenes are not put into the show just for the ratings they form part of the narrative of the book. They don't just define the world as gritty but define the characters in an adult way.

    To suggest it is pornographic is not correct but I can see how that view can be taken. We are still stuck in the Victorian view of the world when it comes to sex and nudity. Both are natural even vital to the human race it is about time we stopped being scared of them.
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    BelfastGuy125BelfastGuy125 Posts: 7,515
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    British TV would almost certainly have the balls to produce something like GoT, what it doesn't have is the money. Which is why the BBC go running to Starz or HBO every time they handle a big drama project and BBC America for all of their small drama projects. Almost invariably they drop them whilst the co-producer tries to continue.

    They certainly don't have the balls to make adult based dramas on British TV. I cant remember the last one broadcast and made over here. It's certainly a niche no TV channel here is willing to take on.
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    BelfastGuy125BelfastGuy125 Posts: 7,515
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    Bluescope wrote: »
    I think it is worth pointing out that sex scenes are not put into the show just for the ratings they form part of the narrative of the book. They don't just define the world as gritty but define the characters in an adult way.

    To suggest it is pornographic is not correct but I can see how that view can be taken. We are still stuck in the Victorian view of the world when it comes to sex and nudity. Both are natural even vital to the human race it is about time we stopped being scared of them.

    Precisely. I think it needs to be emphasized again and again, because it seems the critics of GoT forget, the show is based off a collection of fantasy novels. The author of those novels works alongside the TV show. He is not a man to compromise his work for ratings.
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    RoweyRowey Posts: 2,154
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    Misleading and totally untrue thread title. Does this forum even have moderators any more?

    There seems to be a lot of these wind up threads on here lately.
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    CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,865
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    queenshaks wrote: »
    If you take out the sex scenes, it is family entertainment.

    With occasional beheadings. And the C word.
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    MoreTearsMoreTears Posts: 7,025
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    British TV would almost certainly have the balls to produce something like GoT, what it doesn't have is the money. Which is why the BBC go running to Starz or HBO every time they handle a big drama project and BBC America for all of their small drama projects. Almost invariably they drop them whilst the co-producer tries to continue.

    Oh, it definitely doesn't have the money, but there is some truth to the "balls" thing. "Post-watershed" may mean the UK broadcasters are allowed to show violence and sex, but it looks to me like the non-Channel 4 terrestrial channels are choosing to exercise restraint. ITV edited out some violence from the first episode of the new season of The Americans just a couple of weeks ago. When the BBC and Cinemax (which is owned by HBO) co-produced Hunted, Cinemax was reported to have been frustrated by the BBC's unwillingness to really push the envelope adult-content-wise. And when the BBC and Starz co-produced The White Queen, the Starz versions of the episodes contained more sex than the BBC versions. I have read the claims of Brits of a certain age who say that British-produced TV in the 1970's was actually a lot more explicit when it came to sex and nudity than it is now. I find that quite interesting. Are British broadcasters now trying to respect more conservative tastes, or are they just more afraid of offending people who make complaints to OFCOM even when things they disapprove of are shown post-watershed?
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    Summer BreezeSummer Breeze Posts: 4,399
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    queenshaks wrote: »
    Sssshhhh ;-)



    Going OT now, but where has that poster with the name like that gone, not seen them for a while.
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    MoreTearsMoreTears Posts: 7,025
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    And I wish people -- no not all people, just very silly people -- would stop calling HBO and/or its shows "porn." There is a difference, as this video helpfully points out:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBiOOx0Pxw
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 585
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    Bluescope wrote: »
    People are getting very upset about SKY promoting this as Family Entertainment

    No they aren't, they are having a good and resonable debate about it.

    Yet again even talking about something like this is met with accusations of outrage or people being upset. I honestly wonder why some people sign up to post on forums if they don't like indepth discussion of any kind.
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    starsailorstarsailor Posts: 11,347
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    'You know nothing dmuk'
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    ocavocav Posts: 2,341
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    Can we note that it isn't promoted as Family Entertainment, it's advertised as a package that has entertainment for all the family, ie. Sky Atlantic etc for Adults and Nick, Disney etc for the kids.
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    ohglobbitsohglobbits Posts: 4,481
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    MoreTears wrote: »
    And I wish people -- no not all people, just very silly people -- would stop calling HBO and/or its shows "porn." There is a difference, as this video helpfully points out:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBiOOx0Pxw
    lol Quite.
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    IcaraaIcaraa Posts: 6,068
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    queenshaks wrote: »
    A definite 18+

    Not really. I think BBFC would rate it 15.
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    Peter the GreatPeter the Great Posts: 14,230
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    Icaraa wrote: »
    Not really. I think BBFC would rate it 15.
    Well sort of true. The first 2 seasons got an 18 for the DVD and blu ray release but the 3rd season got a 15.
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    jw2011jw2011 Posts: 841
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    I have the first series on DVD, I haven't got round to watching it yet but it is an 18+ so it shouldn't be advertised as a Family Drama.

    Just wait, there will be complaints that parents let their young children stay up until 10pm to watch it because it sounds like a nice family adventure show... lost in space style!
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    derek500derek500 Posts: 24,892
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    jw2011 wrote: »
    I have the first series on DVD, I haven't got round to watching it yet but it is an 18+ so it shouldn't be advertised as a Family Drama.

    It's not, so no problem then.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,488
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    MoreTears wrote: »
    Oh, it definitely doesn't have the money, but there is some truth to the "balls" thing. "Post-watershed" may mean the UK broadcasters are allowed to show violence and sex, but it looks to me like the non-Channel 4 terrestrial channels are choosing to exercise restraint. ITV edited out some violence from the first episode of the new season of The Americans just a couple of weeks ago. When the BBC and Cinemax (which is owned by HBO) co-produced Hunted, Cinemax was reported to have been frustrated by the BBC's unwillingness to really push the envelope adult-content-wise. And when the BBC and Starz co-produced The White Queen, the Starz versions of the episodes contained more sex than the BBC versions. I have read the claims of Brits of a certain age who say that British-produced TV in the 1970's was actually a lot more explicit when it came to sex and nudity than it is now. I find that quite interesting. Are British broadcasters now trying to respect more conservative tastes, or are they just more afraid of offending people who make complaints to OFCOM even when things they disapprove of are shown post-watershed?

    Using BBC One for an example is perhaps unfair as they can't really utilise the 10PM slot, as they can't move the news.

    And it depends on the network really, Utopia on Channel 4 was very violent and Sky haven't ever cut or held back Strike Back as far as I'm aware. BBC Three have also made adult sci-fi with reasonable quantities of adult content and sex. It's always less notable because these shows don't really get the large international audience HBO shows get.

    Also, no American network would even broadcast The Sex Education Show, let alone do so at 8pm...
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    Peter the GreatPeter the Great Posts: 14,230
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    Using BBC One for an example is perhaps unfair as they can't really utilise the 10PM slot, as they can't move the news.

    And it depends on the network really, Utopia on Channel 4 was very violent and Sky haven't ever cut or held back Strike Back as far as I'm aware. BBC Three have also made adult sci-fi with reasonable quantities of adult content and sex. It's always less notable because these shows don't really get the large international audience HBO shows get.

    Also, no American network would even broadcast The Sex Education Show, let alone do so at 8pm...
    I agree. I don't how anyone can think that American TV is the most daring for adult content. It is the only western country I know of where strong language and nudity is completely banned from network TV.
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    MoreTearsMoreTears Posts: 7,025
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    Using BBC One for an example is perhaps unfair as they can't really utilise the 10PM slot, as they can't move the news.

    And it depends on the network really, Utopia on Channel 4 was very violent and Sky haven't ever cut or held back Strike Back as far as I'm aware. BBC Three have also made adult sci-fi with reasonable quantities of adult content and sex. It's always less notable because these shows don't really get the large international audience HBO shows get.

    I exempted Channel 4 from my comment, you'll note, but even the much-talked about violence on Utopia was relatively inexplicit compared to what is normal for American cable. And it isn't just BBC1 but ITV that I mentioned. Considering how big a percentage of total UK drama commissions those two channels account for, I think my comment was valid. But I want to touch on something you yourself bring up -- the 10 pm hour. I have seen it written in many places by Brits that while 9 pm is supposed to be the watershed, unofficially 10 pm is now treated as "the REAL watershed." How much UK drama is commissioned for 10 pm? Is there any at all?

    And it sounds like The Sex Education Show is something that people would get way with justifying as educational TV, while we are talking about drama. At least I am talking about drama.
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