MUMBAI: The Rupert Murdoch owned broadcaster Fox has gotten itself into regulatory trouble in the US.
Federal regulators have proposed a record indecency fine of nearly $1.2 million for an episode of its reality series Married by America that included graphic scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties. .
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said that the material, which featured male and female Las Vegas strippers in a variety of sexual situations, was indecent and patently offensive, intended to "pander to and titillate the audience." .
FCC commissioners voted unanimously to fine each of the 169 Fox TV stations that aired the program $7,000. Fox has 30 days to appeal the fines, which total $1,183,000.
The fine is the most ever for a television broadcaster. The previous record of $550,000 was levied against CBS last month for the Super Bowl halftime show last February that included a racy duet in which singer Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed.
The FCC found that Fox's episode, which aired prior to 10 pm, a time when children were likely to be in the audience, involved depictions of sexual activity and was patently offensive.