TV Parental Guidelines
Encyclopedia
The TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress
, the television industry and the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major U.S. broadcast and cable network
s in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content, graphic violence and strong profanity in television programs. It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individually-participating broadcast and cable networks.
It was specifically designed to be used with the V-chip
, which was mandated to be built into all television sets manufactured since 2000, but the guidelines themselves have no legal force, and does not apply to news or sports programming, thus precluding networks like CNN
, Fox News Channel
, ESPN
and Fox Sports Net
from applying the ratings system, along with the majority of infomercial
s (which are classified the same as regular commercial break advertising, which also is not rated); however recently, this rule has stopped applying to some entertainment news and newsmagazine programs such as Extra
and Access Hollywood
which all now carry TV-PG ratings mainly due to fair use
clip content from outside sources including reality television
programming which is often above the TV-G threshold.
Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 0–6. These programs are not expected to frighten younger children.
Shows with this rating may or may not be appropriate for some children under the age of seven. They may contain crude or suggestive humor, mild fantasy violence, or content considered too frightening to be shown to children under seven years of age.
When a show has noticeably more fantasy violence than a program rated TV-Y7, it is assigned the TV-Y7-FV rating. Action-adventure shows may carry this rating. Most Japanese anime
shows dubbed and aimed at children in the United States are given this rating.
Although shows with this rating are not necessarily targeted to children, they can be enjoyed by a variety of age groups. Networks that air informational, religious, how-to, or otherwise generally inoffensive content (such as the Food Network
and HGTV
) usually apply a blanket TV-G rating to all of their shows, unless otherwise noted. Programming directed at pre-teens and teens on Nickelodeon
, Disney Channel
, and TeenNick
are rated TV-G for mild language and innuendo. During the 20th century, most cartoons used this rating as a sign that the show contained comic violence or animated smoking that was suitable for family viewing.
This rating signifies that the program may be unsuitable for children under the age of 9 or 10 without the guidance of a parent. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. Various game shows and most reality television
shows are rated TV-PG for their suggestive dialogue, suggestive humor, and/or coarse language. Some anime programs are given this rating, as are many prime-time series. Prime-time Cartoon Network
series and all World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) programs (including those aired on pay-per-view
) after 2008 were changed to TV-PG.
Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring programs with this rating and are cautioned against letting children under 14 years of age watch unattended. This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:
Many programs that air after 9 p.m. are rated TV-14. Certain PG-13 or R-rated feature films are rated TV-14 when edited for broadcast. Anime series may alternatively switch between a TV-PG and TV-14 rating, while most anime are TV-14. Most hour-long dramas are rated TV-14, as are prime-time sitcoms
aimed at adult audiences (the shows airing on Fox
have a viewer discretion advisory as well). Some shows on Animal Planet
containing gruesome animal violence hold a TV-14 rating, as do some music video
shows, mainly during the late night hours. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA) programs bear a TV-14 due to violence and sexual dialogue, in contrast to TNA's competitor, WWE, whose shows bear a TV-PG rating.
Live programming, such as televised awards ceremonies, concerts, and some specials, is sometimes issued a general TV-14 rating because of the possibility that profanity or suggestive dialogue may be used.
Programs bearing a TV-MA rating may be unsuitable for those below the age of 17. This rating was originally named TV-M in early 1997, but was changed because of a trademark dispute and to remove confusion with the ESRB's "M for Mature" rating for video games. Shows rated TV-MA may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, nudity, and/or strong sexual content. The vast majority of television programs that carry this rating air on cable
and satellite
television; network television rarely airs any programming that would warrant such a rating due to FCC indecency and obscenity guidelines that prevent most of this type of programming from airing on broadcast television. The film Schindler's List
was the first film broadcast on network television to display this rating, and the pilot episode of the CBS police drama Brooklyn South
was the first series on network TV to display the rating. Original programming airing in the late evening on some cable networks will generally carry this rating.
The implications of these ratings, particularly the TV-MA rating, vary greatly depending on the situation. For example, South Park
, which airs on Comedy Central
, generally contains explicit language, so it carries a TV-MA rating; syndicated versions of South Park, however, are heavily censored and cut, and employ a TV-14 rating instead. Other TV-MA programs on Comedy Central have no restrictions on language. Language may still be censored by a network or air completely unfiltered, depending on such factors as creative network choices or the need to appeal to advertisers leery of placing spots on a TV-MA program. Adult Swim
shows are rated TV-MA for racism and strong sexual humor. Other shows that are frequently rated TV-MA include original series on the FX cable network, as well as original programming on premium television services such as Showtime and HBO
. A blanket "TV-MA" rating is also usually given to softcore pornographic films or TV series airing on channels such as Cinemax
and most of the Showtime networks, due to full-frontal nudity and the depiction of simulated sexual intercourse.
, the United States Congress
called upon the entertainment industry to establish, within one year, a voluntary television rating system (the TV Parental Guidelines) to provide parents with advance information on material in television programming that might be unsuitable for their children. This rating system would work in conjunction with the V-Chip, a devise in television sets that enables parents to block programming they determine to be inappropriate.
On February 29, 1996, all segments of the entertainment industry, led by the National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
(NCTA), and the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA), joined together and voluntarily pledged to create such a system. They agreed that the guidelines would be applied by broadcast and cable networks in order to handle the huge amount of programming that must be reviewed—some 2,000 hours a day. The guidelines would be applied episodically to all programming with the exception of news, sports and advertising.
On December 19, 1996, the industry announced the creation of the TV Parental Guidelines, a voluntary system of guidelines providing parents with information to help them make more informed choices about the television programs their children watch. The guidelines were modeled after the MPAA movie ratings. The television industry agreed to insert a ratings icon on-screen at the beginning of all rated programs, and to encode the guidelines for use with the V-Chip
.
The ratings system was based on age, with each category providing guidance about the intended audience for TV shows carrying that rating. Each ratings category also contained a description of the kind of content that might appear in programs with a particular rating. The ratings categories were separated into two groups: ratings for programming designed for children and ratings for programming designed for general audiences. The two children’s ratings were created based on input from children’s advocates who raised concerns about the special needs of young children. The children’s ratings were: TV-Y for programming designed for all children, and TV-Y7 for programming directed at children 7 or older. The “general audience” categories were as follows: TV-G (general audience – appropriate for all ages), TV-PG (parental guidance suggested – may be unsuitable for younger children), TV-14 (parents strongly cautioned – may be unsuitable for children under 14 years of age), and TV-M (for mature audiences only, may be unsuitable for children under 17).
The industry also created a Monitoring Board, composed of TV industry experts, to ensure accuracy, uniformity and consistency of the guidelines and to consider any public questions about the guideline applied to a particular program.
In response to calls to provide additional content information in the ratings system, on August 1, 1997, the television industry, in conjunction with representatives of children’s and medical advocacy groups, announced a revised rating system. Under this revised system, television programming would continue to fall into one of the six ratings categories (TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA), but content descriptors of D (suggestive dialogue), L (language), S (sexual content), V (violence) and FV (fantasy violence – exclusively for the TV-Y7 category) would be added to the ratings where appropriate.
Further, the proposal stated that the icons and associated content symbols would appear for 15 seconds at the beginning of all rated programming, and that the size of the icons would be increased. The revised guidelines were supported by leading family and child advocacy groups, as well as television broadcasters, cable systems and networks, and television production companies. Finally, the revised proposal called for five representatives of the advocacy community to be added to the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. On March 12, 1998, the Federal Communications Commission
found that the Industry Video Programming Rating System was acceptable, and adopted technical requirements for the V-Chip.
For the first 15 seconds of every rated program, a large rating icon appears in the upper-left hand corner of the screen, it was much smaller until June 2005, although CBS
and The CW still use the small variant. For every rated program running an hour or longer, it appears at the beginning of each hour.
Starting in June 2005, many networks now display the ratings after every commercial break. ABC
was one of the first television networks to display the program's rating after every commercial break in addition to at the beginning of the program.
font was used for the TV rating icons, but upon the October 1997 revision of the system to redub the "TV-M" rating as "TV-MA" and the addition of the content descriptors, Helvetica
became used as the default typeface for the icons, typically with white lettering on a black background. Unless a network has a separate high definition simulcast, generally all ratings icons appear in the 4:3 title safe area
of all television sets.
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the television industry and the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major U.S. broadcast and cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
s in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content, graphic violence and strong profanity in television programs. It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individually-participating broadcast and cable networks.
It was specifically designed to be used with the V-chip
V-chip
V-chip is a generic term for technology used in television set receivers in the USA, Canada, and Brazil which allows the blocking of programs based on their ratings category. It is intended for use by parents to manage their children's television viewing...
, which was mandated to be built into all television sets manufactured since 2000, but the guidelines themselves have no legal force, and does not apply to news or sports programming, thus precluding networks like CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
from applying the ratings system, along with the majority of infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s (which are classified the same as regular commercial break advertising, which also is not rated); however recently, this rule has stopped applying to some entertainment news and newsmagazine programs such as Extra
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
and Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
which all now carry TV-PG ratings mainly due to fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
clip content from outside sources including reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programming which is often above the TV-G threshold.
TV-Y
(All ages 0 and older)Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 0–6. These programs are not expected to frighten younger children.
TV-Y7
(Directed to children 7 and older)Shows with this rating may or may not be appropriate for some children under the age of seven. They may contain crude or suggestive humor, mild fantasy violence, or content considered too frightening to be shown to children under seven years of age.
TV-Y7-FV
(Directed to children 7 and older with fantasy violence in shows)When a show has noticeably more fantasy violence than a program rated TV-Y7, it is assigned the TV-Y7-FV rating. Action-adventure shows may carry this rating. Most Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
shows dubbed and aimed at children in the United States are given this rating.
TV-G
(General audience)Although shows with this rating are not necessarily targeted to children, they can be enjoyed by a variety of age groups. Networks that air informational, religious, how-to, or otherwise generally inoffensive content (such as the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
and HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
) usually apply a blanket TV-G rating to all of their shows, unless otherwise noted. Programming directed at pre-teens and teens on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
, Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, and TeenNick
TeenNick
TeenNick, formerly The N, is an American television network aimed at the teenage market. TeenNick is owned by the MTV Networks subsidiary, Viacom. The channel was originally known as The N from its April 1, 2002 launch until September 28, 2009....
are rated TV-G for mild language and innuendo. During the 20th century, most cartoons used this rating as a sign that the show contained comic violence or animated smoking that was suitable for family viewing.
TV-PG
(Parental guidance suggested)This rating signifies that the program may be unsuitable for children under the age of 9 or 10 without the guidance of a parent. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. Various game shows and most reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
shows are rated TV-PG for their suggestive dialogue, suggestive humor, and/or coarse language. Some anime programs are given this rating, as are many prime-time series. Prime-time Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
series and all World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) programs (including those aired on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
) after 2008 were changed to TV-PG.
- The TV-PG rating may be accompanied by one or more of the following sub-ratings:
- D for some suggestive dialogue
- L for infrequent coarse language
- S for some sexual situations
- V for moderate violence
TV-14
(Parents strongly cautioned/May be unsuitable for children under 14 years of age)Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring programs with this rating and are cautioned against letting children under 14 years of age watch unattended. This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:
- D for strong suggestive dialogue
- L for strong coarse language
- S for intense sexual situations
- V for intense violence
Many programs that air after 9 p.m. are rated TV-14. Certain PG-13 or R-rated feature films are rated TV-14 when edited for broadcast. Anime series may alternatively switch between a TV-PG and TV-14 rating, while most anime are TV-14. Most hour-long dramas are rated TV-14, as are prime-time sitcoms
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
aimed at adult audiences (the shows airing on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
have a viewer discretion advisory as well). Some shows on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
containing gruesome animal violence hold a TV-14 rating, as do some music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
shows, mainly during the late night hours. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) programs bear a TV-14 due to violence and sexual dialogue, in contrast to TNA's competitor, WWE, whose shows bear a TV-PG rating.
Live programming, such as televised awards ceremonies, concerts, and some specials, is sometimes issued a general TV-14 rating because of the possibility that profanity or suggestive dialogue may be used.
TV-MA
(Mature audience — unsuitable for audiences under 17)Programs bearing a TV-MA rating may be unsuitable for those below the age of 17. This rating was originally named TV-M in early 1997, but was changed because of a trademark dispute and to remove confusion with the ESRB's "M for Mature" rating for video games. Shows rated TV-MA may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, nudity, and/or strong sexual content. The vast majority of television programs that carry this rating air on cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
television; network television rarely airs any programming that would warrant such a rating due to FCC indecency and obscenity guidelines that prevent most of this type of programming from airing on broadcast television. The film Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
was the first film broadcast on network television to display this rating, and the pilot episode of the CBS police drama Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South is an American ensemble police drama series that aired on CBS for only one season during the 1997-98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco, Bill Clark, David Milch and William M. Finkelstein. Bochco is the creator of many well-known police dramas such as Hill...
was the first series on network TV to display the rating. Original programming airing in the late evening on some cable networks will generally carry this rating.
- This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:
- D for intensely suggestive dialogue (unused for different TV-MA shows)
- L for crude indecent language
- S for explicit sexual activity
- V for graphic violence
The implications of these ratings, particularly the TV-MA rating, vary greatly depending on the situation. For example, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, which airs on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, generally contains explicit language, so it carries a TV-MA rating; syndicated versions of South Park, however, are heavily censored and cut, and employ a TV-14 rating instead. Other TV-MA programs on Comedy Central have no restrictions on language. Language may still be censored by a network or air completely unfiltered, depending on such factors as creative network choices or the need to appeal to advertisers leery of placing spots on a TV-MA program. Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
shows are rated TV-MA for racism and strong sexual humor. Other shows that are frequently rated TV-MA include original series on the FX cable network, as well as original programming on premium television services such as Showtime and HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
. A blanket "TV-MA" rating is also usually given to softcore pornographic films or TV series airing on channels such as Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
and most of the Showtime networks, due to full-frontal nudity and the depiction of simulated sexual intercourse.
Development
In the Telecommunications Act of 1996Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
called upon the entertainment industry to establish, within one year, a voluntary television rating system (the TV Parental Guidelines) to provide parents with advance information on material in television programming that might be unsuitable for their children. This rating system would work in conjunction with the V-Chip, a devise in television sets that enables parents to block programming they determine to be inappropriate.
On February 29, 1996, all segments of the entertainment industry, led by the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
(NAB), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable TV industry, representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation’s cable households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers...
(NCTA), and the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
(MPAA), joined together and voluntarily pledged to create such a system. They agreed that the guidelines would be applied by broadcast and cable networks in order to handle the huge amount of programming that must be reviewed—some 2,000 hours a day. The guidelines would be applied episodically to all programming with the exception of news, sports and advertising.
On December 19, 1996, the industry announced the creation of the TV Parental Guidelines, a voluntary system of guidelines providing parents with information to help them make more informed choices about the television programs their children watch. The guidelines were modeled after the MPAA movie ratings. The television industry agreed to insert a ratings icon on-screen at the beginning of all rated programs, and to encode the guidelines for use with the V-Chip
V-chip
V-chip is a generic term for technology used in television set receivers in the USA, Canada, and Brazil which allows the blocking of programs based on their ratings category. It is intended for use by parents to manage their children's television viewing...
.
The ratings system was based on age, with each category providing guidance about the intended audience for TV shows carrying that rating. Each ratings category also contained a description of the kind of content that might appear in programs with a particular rating. The ratings categories were separated into two groups: ratings for programming designed for children and ratings for programming designed for general audiences. The two children’s ratings were created based on input from children’s advocates who raised concerns about the special needs of young children. The children’s ratings were: TV-Y for programming designed for all children, and TV-Y7 for programming directed at children 7 or older. The “general audience” categories were as follows: TV-G (general audience – appropriate for all ages), TV-PG (parental guidance suggested – may be unsuitable for younger children), TV-14 (parents strongly cautioned – may be unsuitable for children under 14 years of age), and TV-M (for mature audiences only, may be unsuitable for children under 17).
The industry also created a Monitoring Board, composed of TV industry experts, to ensure accuracy, uniformity and consistency of the guidelines and to consider any public questions about the guideline applied to a particular program.
In response to calls to provide additional content information in the ratings system, on August 1, 1997, the television industry, in conjunction with representatives of children’s and medical advocacy groups, announced a revised rating system. Under this revised system, television programming would continue to fall into one of the six ratings categories (TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA), but content descriptors of D (suggestive dialogue), L (language), S (sexual content), V (violence) and FV (fantasy violence – exclusively for the TV-Y7 category) would be added to the ratings where appropriate.
Further, the proposal stated that the icons and associated content symbols would appear for 15 seconds at the beginning of all rated programming, and that the size of the icons would be increased. The revised guidelines were supported by leading family and child advocacy groups, as well as television broadcasters, cable systems and networks, and television production companies. Finally, the revised proposal called for five representatives of the advocacy community to be added to the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. On March 12, 1998, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
found that the Industry Video Programming Rating System was acceptable, and adopted technical requirements for the V-Chip.
Sub-ratings
The ratings are sometimes accompanied by sub-ratings, depending on the amount of objectionable content in the program.| Rating | Violence (V) | Language (L) | Sexual content (S) | Suggestive dialogue (D) | Fantasy violence (FV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV-Y |  (unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
| TV-Y7 |  (once used) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(exclusive use) |
| TV-G | (unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
(unused) |
| TV-PG | (used) |
(used) |
(used) |
(used) |
(unused) |
| TV-14 | (used) |
(used) |
(used) |
(used) |
(unused) |
| TV-MA | (used) |
(used) |
(used) |
(unofficial, used by some networks) |
(unused) |
For the first 15 seconds of every rated program, a large rating icon appears in the upper-left hand corner of the screen, it was much smaller until June 2005, although CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and The CW still use the small variant. For every rated program running an hour or longer, it appears at the beginning of each hour.
Starting in June 2005, many networks now display the ratings after every commercial break. ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
was one of the first television networks to display the program's rating after every commercial break in addition to at the beginning of the program.
Design
Originally, the Franklin GothicFranklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic and its related faces are realist sans-serif typefaces originated by Morris Fuller Benton in 1902. “Gothic” is an increasingly archaic term meaning sans-serif. Franklin Gothic has been used in many advertisements and headlines in newspapers. The typeface continues to maintain a...
font was used for the TV rating icons, but upon the October 1997 revision of the system to redub the "TV-M" rating as "TV-MA" and the addition of the content descriptors, Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
became used as the default typeface for the icons, typically with white lettering on a black background. Unless a network has a separate high definition simulcast, generally all ratings icons appear in the 4:3 title safe area
Safe area
Safe area is a term used in television production to describe the areas of the television picture that can be seen on television screens.Older televisions can display less of the space outside of the safe area than ones made more recently...
of all television sets.
See also
- Television content rating systems
- Pay television content descriptorsPay television content descriptorsThe Pay television content descriptors give viewers of American pay television services and pay-per-view an idea of the content included in a film or television program...
- Motion Picture Association of America film rating system