Cable channels put curb on Madonna video
A Madonna video has again fallen foul of MTV censors - this time, because of violence.
MTV and sister station VH1 will only air the pop superstar's new video once.
What It Feels Like For A Girl will be shown once Tuesday night on each station, after a news segment about it.
"MTV and VH1 feel that the Madonna video is newsworthy and can be seen with proper context," a network representative said. She refused to detail what made the video inappropriate for multiple viewings.
Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's spokeswoman, said she believed the networks could change their minds.
"We would like VH1 and MTV to make a very strong commitment to playing this video," Ms Rosenberg said. "There are many other possibilities that we can explore but our first choice has always been for VH1 and MTV to play this video, and more than once."
But the networks said the decision was final.
The video, directed by Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie, is about an angry woman who goes on a crime spree. Ms Rosenberg described the main character as a woman acting out a fantasy.
In 1990, MTV refused to air Justify My Love because of its sexual content. And in 1992 it decided to show Erotica only in the early hours.
Rosenberg said if MTV and VH1 did not agree to replay the video, Madonna would seek to have it aired elsewhere. She said AOL had already agreed to make it available on the internet.
