Canada's broadcast regulator has ruled that violent mixed martial arts content can air on Saturday morning television, provided viewers are warned ahead of time. Blacklock's Reporter says the decision comes after complaints about a Sportsnet Central segment that showed graphic UFC fight footage at 9:30 a.m.The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council found that while it was permissible to air the December 15 UFC Fight Night highlights, the absence of a viewer advisory was a violation of broadcasting guidelines.“It should have provided an advisory before showing the ‘ultimate fighting’ clips,” the council said in its ruling. “This is especially the case when the panel considers this sports news segment aired at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, a time when children could be viewing the content.”.The broadcast featured slow-motion footage of a fighter being punched in the nose and other scenes described as containing “a lot of blood.” Complainants described the segment as “grotesque and brutal violence” disguised as sport, with one viewer objecting to images of “bloody, disfiguring injuries including a broken nose and large open facial wounds gushing blood.”The council acknowledged that mixed martial arts fans might have a clinical interest in the technical aspects of the sport. "The panel understands tools such as close-ups and slow motion clips that visually demonstrate how a UFC opponent was taken down could be interesting to viewers who enjoy the sport,” it said. .However, it emphasized that “an advisory should be included to fully inform the viewers that extraordinarily violent content is present.”Sportsnet Central will be required to read the ruling on air but will face no financial penalty. Compliance with such rulings is mandatory under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensing rules.This marks the third time since 2004 the council has issued a ruling on the appropriateness of airing mixed martial arts content. In a previous decision, the council noted that the sport “may appear to an uninitiated watcher to be something of a free for all” due to its raw and unfiltered style of combat.Despite the complaints, the council concluded that with proper warnings, even the bloodiest bouts can remain on morning television.
