Dubai's MBC: sorry over movie nudity mistake

Dubai-based TV network MBC on Wednesday said it had launched an investigation into how a movie containing nudity was broadcast unedited earlier this week. Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn, was shown on its MBC Max channel on Monday but scenes showing partial nudity prompted many viewers to complain on social networking site Twitter. Some viewers said the scenes were "inappropriate" for broadcast during the Eid holidays while others on Twitter defended the channel's right to show the unedited version of the film. Ali Jaber, group TV director at MBC Group said in a statement that an "administrative investigation is currently taking place to determine the error and find out its origins and cause". He issued an apology to viewers who felt embarrassed by what they saw on the TV, adding that the company would take "appropriate" action to ensure a similar mistake did not happen in the future. Jaber added: "The film was screened several times in the past, in its edited form, excluding any of the aforementioned scenes. "Therefore the recent mistake of screening the unedited version could have resulted from either the digital move in line with the recent technologies and developments taking place within the organisation." He added that another reason for the broadcase might be "an unintentional human error”. “MBC MAX would like to apologize to its viewers for any cause of embarrassment that they were put under, and we confirm our commitment to take the necessary and appropriate action - technical and resourceful - ensuring that such mistakes will not be repeated in the future," Jaber added. MBC Group said it was committed to the "appropriateness of the content it screens that has been targeting family members for more than 20 years". Based in Dubai, MBC Group includes 10 television channels as well as O3 productions, a specialised documentary production unit.