Comedy Central grounded for 10 days by MIB

The channel has been penalised for airing “obscene” dialogues and “vulgar” words. The action pertained to 'Stand Up Club' and 'Popcorn' aired on May 26 and July 4 last year

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | May 27, 2013

Followed by an order passed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the broadcast of Comedy Central has been stopped for 10 days starting 00:00 hrs on Saturday. Although the spokesperson from the channel declined to comment on grounds that the matter was sub-judice, it is learned that the channel had to go off air after it failed to get a stay on an MIB order to stop transmission from Delhi High Court.

According to the MIB order, the channel has been penalised for airing “obscene” dialogues and “vulgar” words besides being derogatory to women. The shows in scrutiny were 'Stand Up Club' and 'Popcorn' aired on May 26 and July 4 last year.

Earlier, responding to the showcause notice issued by MIB, Comedy Central had said: “As a 24-hour channel dedicated to English language comedy content, we cater to a niche viewership accustomed to and interested in English programmes. 'Popcorn' is a reality show which contained different pranks. And in this show, after playing a prank on any individual, the 'victim' of the prank is informed about it and also informed about the fact that the prank was being recorded clandestinely.”

Comedy Central was to launch a new show, 'Greek', starting today. According to industry estimates, the channel is expected to lose revenue close to Rs 1 crore over these 10 days.

Also read: Comedy Central gets relief from Delhi High Court

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Info@BestMediaInfo.com