BSA rules Nicki Minaj video inappropriate

A music video featuring Nicki Minaj has been deemed inappropriate for young viewers by the BSA

A Nicki Minaj video is not appropriate for youngsters, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has ruled.

The BSA has upheld a complaint regarding an MTV screening of the video for Minaj's song Only, which also features Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown. It was shown on the channel on Sky TV just before 7pm.

The video shows shirtless men shackled in chains and tied to chairs being tortured and the lyrics include swear words and multiple sexual references.

It "contained numerous expletives and overt sexual references, including imagery suggesting sexual violence and torture", the Authority said.

While the segment the video screened in was classified MC - suitable for mature audiences and content may offend - the BSA held that it was insufficient and a more appropriate classification would be 16LC, for broadcasts not suitable for viewers under 16.

As the video had been misclassified, the Authority said "viewers were more likely to be surprised and therefore offended or disturbed by the video's content".

The M classification also meant that filtering technology could not have prevented younger viewers being exposed to the video, the Authority said.

"We are not saying that the video should not have been broadcast - only that it should have been broadcast in a 16LC viewing environment that would have adequately informed viewers of the nature of the video and allowed them to avail themselves of filtering technology.

"While MTV viewers may expect some music videos, especially for a song by Ms Minaj, to contain challenging content, the classification and warning given to the Only video did not indicate this high level of adult content."

As the Authority considered this incident to be a "reasonable serious breach of broadcasting standards", Sky was ordered to pay $1,500 in costs to the Crown.