A private Greek television station has been fined $116,000 for broadcasting a scene of two men kissing, reports said Wednesday.

The action brought strong criticism from media commentators.

Mega television was fined by the independent licensing body, the National Radio and Television Council, for the Oct. 6 scene showing two male actors kissing in the weekly drama "Close Your Eyes."

The council — usually tolerant of the frequent nudity and sexual content of Greek television — described the scene as "vulgar and unacceptable."

Television critic Popi Diamandakou called the decision "hypocritical."

"The council tells us ... that it's OK to be tolerant but we shouldn't go too far," she wrote in the daily Ta Nea newspaper.

Greek TV stations repeatedly showed clips of Madonna kissing singer Britney Spears during the MTV Video Music Awards in August without facing penalties.

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