Unless you’ve been on an internet and media blackout for the last week you should know by now that Netflix is available in all countries with the exception of China, North Korea, Syria and Crimea.

We’ve already done a comparison between the offering in the US and South Africa and there are more than a few missing shows, movies and documentaries

Netflix has explained that this is because of licensing agreements, but using Finder to compare the offering in the USA and SA I started to notice something else that might be holding back content coming to Netflix in South Africa: nudity.

To be clear, Netflix does not host pornography in any country, but it’s well known for taking risks with explicit imagery in dramas such as Orange is the New Black, and overseas services have carried unexpurgated arthouse movies like Blue is the Warmest Colour and Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac. In the US, a number of movies and shows carry the the label of “Erotica” because they feature extensive nudity and scenes of a sexual nature. Searching the US selection reveals 41 titles with this label while a search of the South African selection reveals only five titles, of which two are documentaries.

While much of this is down to licensing issues, for example in the case of Orange is the New Black, Sons of Anarchy and House of Cards, much of the initial selection is strangely conservative when it comes to sex.

Violence however, seems to be okay in the eyes of Netflix. American History X, is infamous for its ultra violence, the first moments of Marco Polo depict the gore of a battlefield and unlike House of Cards, both are a but a click away on Netflix SA.

Drugs are also featured quite prominently in the selection including the story of Pablo Escobar, Narcos and the documentary, Super High Me. Classic Hollywood blockbusters with risqué content such as Fatal Attraction, are nowhere to be seen.

It is interesting to note that Netflix in the US has a rating system from G for little kids, all the way up to NC-17 and R for adults. It has a different rating scale for the rest of the world, which only goes up to 16+. Curiously, the Bogart classic Casablanca is certified 13+ under this system.

According to Richard Boorman over at rival Showmax, the reason for the lack of such content on South Africa’s Netflix offering might be the fact that films and series need to be classified by the Film and Publications Board (FPB).

The problem here is that none of the content on Netflix at present appears to have been classified by the FPB, but rather the Netflix classification system – and since it’s classification for the rest of the world only goes up to 16+, it can’t group R-rated content together with it. That could all change though, once the FPB has had some eyes on the R-rated films, and Netflix adapts their classification system for SA.

Even so and call me desensitised if you must, but in a country where violence is so prominent, is seeing a nipple or a sex scene within the context of a movie (which is not classified as pornography) really that much of a problem?

Had this content been classified by the FPB it would be displayed as such on Netflix as it appears on Showmax so technically, not even the violent content should be available at the moment.

It’s not that we’re after a bit of cheap titillation, you understand. If I wanted that, there’s a whole internet of imagery and film available for free. At the heart of it I suppose I am irritated that I feel someone has decided what is good for me to watch. This is compounded by the fact that during the Netflix keynote this week, Reed Hastings went on ad nauseam about how Netflix is ushering in a new age where the user is in control of what they watch on the service. As long as that content has been approved in your country, by Netflix of course.

And beyond the odd bodice ripper there’s a more serious problem with the Netflix SA selection, one which many people often mistakenly lump into the same category as sex. And that’s sexuality: the LGBT section of movies available in the US is noticeable by its absence, as some of our readers have pointed out, reinforcing the thought even more that Netflix just doesn’t think we can handle anything that has to do with the word “sex”.

There’s no evidence that the selection is deliberately censored – indeed, I mentioned Marco Polo earlier, which has its own Game of Thrones-style moments of gratuitous nudity, so I’m told, and gives the lie to my whole conspiracy theory about self-censorship. But Netflix does already show censorsed or cut versions of films in other territories (noteably Japan). So just keen an eye on it and let them know we want our programming as the original was intended.

[Image CC by 2.0 – Michelle Hofstrand]