CCTSB Chair Yifat Ben Hay-Segev.
Photo: Eran Yoffi Cohen
El Al accused of showing inappropriate content on flights
The Chairperson of the Council for Cable TV and Satellite Broadcasting has contacted the airline, claiming that several television shows shown on its flights were not accurately marked as inappropriate for viewers of some ages. El Al says it will review the matter.
Chairperson of the Israel Council for Cable TV and Satellite Broadcasting (CCTSB) Yifat Ben Hay-Segev is claiming that Israeli airline El Al is acting inappropriately in showing the television series 2 Broke Girls and The Big Bang Theory on its flights, since they contain material that is not suitable for children. In addition, Ben Hay-Segev claims El Al is not properly labeling these shows as such.
According to Ben Hay-Segev, the severity of the situation is compounded by the fact that the audience on flights is not always able to switch the channel or turn of the screen. “The content is displayed on a central screen in front of which the viewer sits for long hours,” she wrote in a letter to El Al CEO David Maimon, “On planes with personal screens the problem is less severe since the viewer has a choice, but even then it would be proper to add classification and marking (to the content available).”
The Big Bang Theory. Not correctly labeled? (Photo: Courtesy of Yes TV)
El Al has responded by stating that it enforced a strict classification of film content, as is common on most airlines worldwide. It claims that such content that is intended for audiences aged 13 of younger are not displayed on the main screens. In addition, it claims that all film content displayed on personal screens is classified, including details of it in the in-flight Atmosphere Magazine. The airline added, however, “We will take the estimates (by Ms. Ben Hay-Segev. -ed) to heart, and classify the television shows screened on planes as well.”
dsadeh@yedioth.co.il
