Broadcasting Standards (original) (raw)

Broadcasting Standards Ngā Whanonga Kaipāho

Broadcasting standards for television and radio and guidance about how they apply

No. The BSA can only respond to formal complaints about content once it has been broadcast. We can’t take any action before a programme is aired, unless it falls within the BSA’s limited power to stop further programmes in a series.

If you have concerns about a programme before it airs, these are best directed to the broadcaster.

We can only consider complaints that fit within broadcasting standards, about the content or classification of a programme or the time it was aired. Complaints on other issues can be made to the broadcaster.

We don’t oversee content for on-demand services, apart from certain exceptions:

• Under a special agreement, we deal with content standards and complaints for Neon.
• We can consider complaints about broadcast content that’s then put online, as long as you can point to the original broadcast and complain within 20 working days of this.

Some on-demand providers such as Netflix and Lightbox have signed up to the NZ Media Council VOD Code which sees programmes classified to help people make informed viewing choices.

On YouTube, if you see content you believe violates the platform’s Community Guidelines you can report it directly to YouTube. More information is available on YouTube’s website here.

We can’t give specific advice on whether a programme might breach standards, as this could risk pre-determining the Authority’s views if we received a complaint.

We can give general guidance about broadcasting standards and factors the Authority may consider.

All our previous decisions are published on our website. These contain guidance and you can see if we’ve considered a similar issue.