The Methodist and Church of England decision to shed their shares in
BSkyB with the launch of the Playboy Channel met a predictable response.
The decision to divest for ethical considerations, as well as the
message that pornography is degrading to both men and women, were both
widely carried and largely unopposed. BSkyB noted, in six articles, that
the channel is legal and has received approval from the appropriate
authorities.
The subtext was provided by the Daily Mail, which easily took the
greatest interest in the Churches’ decision. In a pair of editorials it
campaigned for other institutional investors with BSkyB holdings to sell
their shares and for advertisers to not buy space on the adult channels.
The Playboy Channel garnered mixed reviews. Its claim of offering
quality programming was reported in four articles. Three articles
conveyed that it offered a slightly more polished product than existing
adult rivals, but the sense was to damn with faint praise. TV critic
Markus Bergman, writing in the Mail, led his review with: ‘Seen one
dismal porn channel, seen them all’.
Evaluation and analysis by CARMA International. Cuttings supplied by
Standard Press Analysts
