TUI ends sponsorship of Channel 4's Married at First Sight

Europe's starring question relation Tui has ended its sponsorship of 3 versions of Married astatine First Sight connected Channel Four - the UK, Australia and US versions.

Tui told BBC News: "Following the broadcast of the Panorama programme and treatment with Channel 4, we person taken the determination to extremity our sponsorship of Married astatine First Sight."

Tui told BBC News it was "pausing" its sponsorship enactment connected Monday, aft two women told the BBC they were raped during the filming of 1 of Channel 4's biggest shows, Married astatine First Sight UK, portion a 3rd described an allegation of a non-consensual enactment act.

TV professional Scott Bryan connected Thursday that though non-UK versions "do not person thing to bash with these caller allegations, it shows however the estimation of MAFS marque itself is being affected by this news".

The women featured successful Panorama said the amusement did not bash capable to support them.

Lawyers for CPL, the autarkic accumulation institution that makes the UK mentation of the show, said its payment strategy was "gold standard" and industry-leading, and that it acted appropriately successful each these cases.

Bryan said it was "a large deal" for TUI to propulsion retired of the Australian variation - sometimes called MAFS Oz - arsenic good arsenic the UK one, due to the fact that "it's a hugely fashionable and lucrative amusement for Channel 4, particularly with younger viewers".

Channel 4 was alert of immoderate allegations earlier broadcast, and each the episodes featuring the women had been disposable connected its streaming service.

Speaking connected Good Morning Britain connected Thursday, Ofcom's main enforcement Dame Melanie Dawes said the media regulator volition tighten its guidance astir world shows if necessary.

"What we ever effort to debar is being truly circumstantial about, 'You tin bash this and you can't bash that', due to the fact that fundamentally the work is with Channel 4 and its accumulation company, oregon with ITV oregon BBC oregon whoever is producing these shows, to get this right," she explained.

"If they person not got right, this is going to beryllium a superior issue.

"It's precise live, but it does rise truly superior concerns. If we request to tighten our guidance past we perfectly will."

She continued: "Sometimes we bash person these wake-up calls where, arsenic a country, we conscionable go, 'This has gone excessively far.'"

On Monday afternoon, Channel 4 said it had removed each episodes from streaming and linear services, alongside MAFS UK societal channels.

Priya Dogra antecedently declined to apologise erstwhile asked by a newsman pursuing the broadcast of Panorama connected Monday, though she did explicit her "sympathy" for those who had spoken up.

But speaking astatine a property briefing connected Wednesday to people the merchandise of the network's yearly report, she apologised and said she had recovered the women's accounts "very troubling" to watch.

Dogra besides clarified that the latest play of MAFS UK – which has already been filmed – has not been axed, contempt media reports to the contrary.

She added that payment crossed each Channel 4 programmes is "hugely important" and "a superior concern".

But she said Channel 4 can't analyse the women's allegations, which the men person denied, adding: "We are a broadcaster, not an adjudicator."

Last month, Channel 4 commissioned an outer reappraisal into payment connected the show.

A radical of MPs has written to Channel 4 to inquire for answers astir what they accidental are "horrifying" allegations aired by Panorama.

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has written to some Channel 4 and broadcast regulator Ofcom with questions astir their actions and responses to the claims.

Married astatine First Sight UK - known to galore arsenic MAFS - sees azygous radical hold to "marry" full strangers, aft gathering for the archetypal clip astatine their mock weddings.

The marriages are not legally binding, but viewers spot the couples spell connected "honeymoon", earlier moving successful unneurotic and navigating their relationships - each portion being filmed, astir each day.

On Tuesday, constabulary urged imaginable victims of intersexual battle connected world the UK TV amusement to get successful touch.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "At this time, we person not received immoderate transgression reports successful narration to this matter.

"We volition beryllium making approaches to the applicable accumulation teams to guarantee that anyone they person spoken to is alert of however to study immoderate transgression allegations to police.

"We proceed to promote anyone who believes they person been a unfortunate of intersexual assault, nary substance however agelong agone it happened, to get successful interaction with us."