What Do Content Regulators Do?

With the unprecedented increase in the number of platforms available to consume content and the seemingly ever-increasing number of titles, parents are rightfully concerned about the type of stories their children can watch. One way parents or family members can determine whether a specific title is appropriate is an “age rating.” We’ve discussed in previous posts what age ratings are, how they differ between film and TV, and how they vary across countries. In this post, we examine the content regulators that assign ratings and how they perceive their role in ensuring safe and quality entertainment content is available for families in theaters and online.

Government and private classification boards
Generally, there are two types of classification boards: governmental and private. Governmental boards are established by law or decree. Examples of governmental boards are the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), the Australian Classification Board (ACB), Hong Kong’s Film Censorship Authority (FCA), and India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Private boards are generally industry-created and managed organizations that provide ratings and classification services instead of government involvement. Examples include the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in the US and Canada and the BBFC in the United Kingdom.

Content regulators take their jobs seriously as their judgments influence public decisions about what to watch, and higher ratings can significantly impact a film or TV show’s revenue.

In the ratings process, a final cut of a film or TV show is reviewed for content unacceptable to various age groups. In most countries, this means scenes depicting violence, horror, sexuality, drug use, or other imitable acts that can adversely influence or impact an audience.

What is acceptable for what age group?
What is “acceptable” is typically determined by long-term, ongoing discussions and public research on what audiences deem appropriate for the age groups. A common criterion is that the subject matter is “understandable” to a person. For example, violent scenes with one person killing another are not understandable in the context of a complex story to young children. Likewise, glorifying drug use that leads to addiction or harm can inappropriately influence older children, pre-teens, and young adults. Some countries also look for stories or scenes that portray government, public officials, religious leaders, and others in “unflattering” or “inaccurate” ways, both of which can be highly subjective given who controls the government. Guidelines that describe these criteria can be found on ratings board websites, such as the MPA, the BBFC, and the CBFC.

Three things can occur after a title is reviewed:

1. An age rating is assigned,
2. Content is sent back to the creators with required or suggested edits necessary for an age rating to be assigned, or
3. The film is banned from being released.

Edits generally include changing offensive language, blurring out, or removing unacceptable scenes. Once the requested revisions are complete, the content is resubmitted for approval, and the cycle begins again. Suppose the group submitting the content disagrees with the rating or ban. In that case, they can follow an appeal process to argue their case to a separate board, who then makes a final rating determination or enforces the ban.

As we wrote in a previous post, ratings for young children are not always the same when watched in theaters versus at home or on mobile devices. To address this concern, regulators have created additional categories that address content concerns, for instance, when parents or other adults are absent.

One final note, online platforms often self-rate content. These platforms generally assign a film or show the same rating earned in similar countries, but that doesn’t always match what an official ratings board may give to a title. We’ve written why self-rating isn’t a good idea. It is a clear example of “caveat emptor.”

The fact remains that whether the ratings are governmental, industry, or self-assigned, the public relies heavily upon them to decide what is appropriate content for their children and families to watch. With the growth of platforms and titles, getting the rating right has never been more critical. Spherex solutions and tools will help you achieve the ratings you want for every title in your catalog quickly, economically, and with no regulatory risk. To learn more, check out Solutions on Spherex.com.

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Related Insights

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As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

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