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Revocation of 'Look 4 Love 2'

The licence held by Television Concepts Limited (in liquidation) ("Television Concepts") to provide the service known as 'Look 4 Love 2' ( TLCS licence no. 979) has been revoked.

Television Concepts was the holder of two Ofcom licences for the services "Look 4 Love TV"^(-1-) and 'Look 4 Love 2'.

Television Concepts was placed in liquidation on 12 January 2007. Ofcom will normally seek to revoke any licence held if a licensee goes into liquidation on the grounds that the liquidation has effected a change in the control, nature or characteristics of the licensee which would have precluded the original grant of the licence.

Accordingly, Television Concepts was notified that Ofcom was minded to revoke the licence for 'Look 4 Love 2', setting out the grounds for revocation described above. The licensee was given the opportunity to make any representations to Ofcom on the grounds for revocation. The licensee did not make any representations.

Ofcom has therefore revoked the licence for 'Look 4 Love 2', with immediate effect, on 23 January 2007.

Background - Ofcom investigation

'Look 4 Love 2' was an unencrypted service broadcasting adult content in the adult section of the Sky Electronic Programme Guide. It featured women in various states of undress using sexual actions and promoting a premium rate adult chat line. It broadcast extremely explicit sexual imagery and language.

At the time of revocation, Ofcom had recorded a number of very serious breaches of its Broadcasting Code ("the Code") against 'Look 4 Love 2' and was in the process of considering a statutory sanction against Television Concepts in respect of those breaches.

In June and September 2006 Ofcom had put those broadcasters who provide services promoting adult premium rate chat lines on notice about Ofcom"s most serious concerns about compliance with the Code. In particular, Ofcom was concerned about the degree of sexual content and the separation of advertising from programme content. This notice explained that Ofcom could, following due process, sanction broadcasters who seriously breached the Code, and that the sanctions available include imposing financial penalties as well as revocation of licences.

Ofcom monitored Television Concepts" services, including 'Look 4 Love 2' between July and October 2006.

Ofcom concluded that the licensee had broadcast material of an adult sexual nature which would require encryption. This was in breach of Rule 1.24 of the Broadcasting Code. The material was explicit both in terms of images and language and should have been, in Ofcom"s view, encrypted.

Ofcom had found the licensee in breach of a number of Rules of the Code, including the following:

• Rule 1.24 (adult sex material and encryption)
• Rule 1.3 (inappropriate scheduling)
• Rule 2.1 (harm & offence - generally accepted standards)
• Rule 2.3 (offence)
• Rule 10.2 (separation of advertising and programming
• Rule 10.3 (products and services must not be promoted in programmes)
• Rule 10.4 (No undue prominence to a product or service)
• Rule 10.9 (use of premium rated service in programmes)

In particular, Ofcom was most concerned about the promotion of adult sex lines before the 21:00 watershed and the transmission of adult sex material without encryption.

Because the licensee company has now been placed in liquidation and the licence in respect of the service "Look 4Love 2" has been revoked, Ofcom has discontinued its consideration of a statutory sanction for this service.

Ofcom
23 January 2007

Footnotes:

1.- Ofcom imposed a financial penalty of £175,000 on "Look 4 Love" on 24 November 2006 (see http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/ocsc_adjud/look4love.pdf), and the licence was subsequently revoked on 8 January 2007 (see http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/ocsc_adjud/l4lrevocation.pdf)

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