A morning episode of Sportsnet Central last December that included coverage from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches showing bloodied competitors should have provided a viewer advisory before showing the “particularly violent” clips, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) said in a Wednesday press release summarizing its recent decision on the matter.
Airing on Sportsnet Ontario on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at 9:30 a.m., the Sportsnet Central episode was the subject of a viewer complaint “about the ‘grotesque and brutal violence’ during morning weekend programming when children could be watching and specifically mentioned the ‘large open facial wounds gushing blood’” that were shown in an extreme close-up during the broadcast, the CBSC said in its press release. The program included slow-motion clips of UFC competitors being struck in the face, resulting in bloody injuries, the CBSC said.
The Sportsnet Central host explained during the segment that the cut above one competitor’s eye got worse as the fight went on, eventually resulting in the match ending due to “doctor’s stoppage”, according to the CBSC’s press release.
In response to the viewer complaint about the broadcast, Sportsnet took the position there was nothing outside the sanctioned activity of the sport and, therefore, no reason to restrict the broadcast of the images contained in the report.
The CBSC’s English-Language Panel examined the complaint under the News and Sports provisions of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Violence Code.
“The Panel recognized that ultimate fighting is a highly combative sport, so any coverage of it understandably includes bloodied participants, graphic punching and injuries. The Panel also acknowledged that close-ups and slow-motion clips were relevant to the report about the match and sometimes required in coverage of fast-moving sports,” the CBSC’s press release said.
As such, the CBSC’s panel found Sportsnet had not violated any broadcast code provisions regarding promotion of violence in sports and use of appropriate caution and editorial judgment in the presentation of violent news clips.
“The Panel did, however, conclude that some of the images constituted extraordinary violence that required advance warning to viewers, especially since the program aired on a weekend morning. Accordingly, the failure to provide a viewer advisory violated Article 6.3 of the Violence Code.”
