- MultiChoice
won't be showing any queer content on DStv in Uganda.
- This comes
after Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world's
toughest anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, including the death penalty for
"aggravated homosexuality," on Monday.
- "MultiChoice
takes into account all laws and regulations under which we are governed
and aims to adhere to those set rules in the countries in which we
operate," the company said.
MultiChoice
won't be showing any queer content on DStv in Uganda after the government
passed its anti-gay bill.
On
Monday, Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world's toughest
anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, including the death penalty for "aggravated
homosexuality" – laws that now decree a 20-year sentence for
"promoting" homosexuality.
In
response to a media query asking its view, MultiChoice said it would adhere to
Uganda's laws. It means no content that could be considered
"promoting" LGBTQIA+ will be shown on DStv in Uganda.
"MultiChoice takes into account all laws
and regulations under which we are governed and aims to adhere to those set
rules in the countries in which we operate," the company said.
"We are a business that enriches the
lives of many people through film and television in our quest to remain
Africa's best-loved storyteller."
MultiChoice was asked how it would keep any
LGBTQIA+ content away from just Uganda, considering that the satellite
transponder covers more countries than just Uganda. The company was also asked
if it had already done content interventions, for instance, censorship of
certain content in Uganda.
However, MultiChoice declined to answer these
questions.
Shifting strategies
What is apparent is that instead of outright
censoring LGBTQIA+ content, MultiChoice, over the past number of years, has
shifted its programming and content allocation approach in two very specific
ways in response to growing anti-gay sentiment in parts of Africa.
Firstly, MultiChoice has shifted the
responsibility to international channel providers to package their programming
schedules for channels on DStv with content that doesn't feature overt LGBTQIA+
characters or themes.
In June 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery which
ran a Pride Month content line-up on its TLC channel in South Africa for
instance, self-censored and kept this content away from the TLC channel version
running across MultiChoice's other satellite transponders so that it wouldn't
air in anti-LGBTQIA+ countries like Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
Warner Bros. Discovery told News24 at
the time that it is "aware of the sensitivities in these regions and
therefore TLC Pride isn't scheduled to air in these countries".
In October 2015, Discovery Networks
International was forced to pull the reality series I Am Jazz about
a transgender teen's struggle and life journey from TLC across Africa just
before it began broadcast following government censorship in Nigeria that
impacted its screening across the entire continent.
In May 2016, NBCUniversal was forced to pull
the second season of I Am Cait, a reality show about Caitlyn Jenner
from E! in Africa, after complaints and a DStv ban in Nigeria.
In July 2016, Viacom International Media
Networks Africa, now Paramount Global, said it would censor an episode of The
Loud House on Nickelodeon and won't be broadcasting it on its linear
channel on DStv in Africa since it featured animated gay dads.
In June 2017, the Kenya Film Classification
Board (KFCB) banned 7 kids' cartoons for bogus reasons like one character
having "a dick for a head" and that another two characters of the
same gender went on an (unseen) "implied romantic vacation", ordering
MultiChoice Africa to remove The Loud House, The
Legend of Korra, Hey Arnold!, Clarence, Steven
Universe, Adventure Time and Star vs. the Forces
of Evil from DStv because of "homosexual themes".
In November 2017, Kenya banned the Disney
Channel show Andi Mack because it featured a gay teenager,
keeping it off television across Africa, including South Africa.
Secondly, M-Net has also adapted its approach
with its self-packaged M-Net, Africa Magic, and Maisha Magic channels set
outside South Africa.
M-Net (DStv 101), which has different
regionalised channel feeds for South, East, and West Africa, is pro-actively
keeping certain content away from DStv subscribers in East and West Africa
which are shown in South Africa without any complaints, where the same timeslot
on the DStv guide is filled with other shows.
In March this year, eMedia launched Openview
Ultra as a pay-TV add-on for its fast-growing Openview free-to-air satellite TV
service in South Africa and started with a gay bouquet consisting of the OUTtv
and Fuse TV channels at a subscription fee of R75 per month.
source: News24.
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