Television content rating system


Television content rating systems are systems for evaluating the content and reporting the suitability of television programs for children, teenagers, or adults. Many countries have their own television rating system and countries' rating processes vary by local priorities. Programs are rated by the organization that manages the system, the broadcaster, or the content producers.
A rating is usually set for each individual episode of a television series. The rating can change per episode, network, rerun, and country. As such, program ratings are usually not meaningful unless when and where the rating is used is mentioned.

Comparison table

A comparison of current television content rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. Thus a color code or age range cannot be directly compared from one country to another.
Key:

Argentina

In Argentina, the content rating system is identical to those used by the local film bureau.
Starting from September 2010, it is compulsory for broadcasters to show the plaque Comienza el horario apto para todo público and Finaliza el horario apto para todo público at 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. respectively. In addition, the plaque Atención: Contenido no apto para niños, niñas y adolescentes is shown before news broadcasts.

Armenia

A television content rating system for Armenia was introduced in June 2006. The Armenian ratings are as follows:
Range specific
Age specific
Commercial television networks in Australia are required to comply with the Australian Commercial Television Code of Practice, which is governed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority with Free TV Australia mediating between the networks and the ACMA, as well as handling viewer complaints.
Classifications for each program broadcast on TV, are decided upon by trained classification officers at each network.
If viewers believe a network has breached the TV Code of Practice, viewers can submit a complaint to Free TV Australia, who then submit that complaint to the network. If viewers are dissatisfied with the result, they may then refer their complaint to the ACMA for an investigation.

Child-specific ratings

These time zones are further governed by the Australian Commercial Television Code of Practice, over and above the commercial Code of Practice. Both are similar to the G and PG classifications respectively in terms of allowable content, but are specifically targeted at children, whereas G specifies programming content that is suitable for all audiences, but may not necessarily be of interest to children.
SymbolAbbreviationNameDescription
PPreschoolersPrograms intended for pre-schoolers; commercial stations must show at least 130 hours of P-rated content each year.
CChildrenPrograms intended for children ; commercial stations must show at least 260 hours of C-rated content each year between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. or between 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m on weekdays or 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on weekends and school holidays. C-rated content is subject to certain restrictions and limitations on advertising.

Standard ratings

Classifications are intended to be equivalent to the Australian Classification Board classifications of the same name. They're usually presented with the same shape and sometimes colour as their ACB counterparts.
From December 2015, the ACMA introduced sweeping changes to the ratings system for commercial networks. Among them were allowing M and MA15+ programs to air an hour earlier then they were previously allowed, from 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm respectively, PG programs can air all day, dissolving the AV15+ classification, as well as changes to when adverts with higher classifications program can air.
Networks are still getting used to these changes and it will be a gradual change, with many programs already classified and scheduled on stations weeks ahead, in accordance with the old code. The Seven Network, Nine Network and Network Ten are continuing this trend.
SymbolAbbreviationNameDescription
GGeneralGeneral exhibition, suitable for all ages but not necessarily intended for children. Content is VERY MILD in impact. G content may air at any time of day.
PGParental Guidance RecommendedParental guidance is recommended for young viewers. Content is MILD in impact; Elements in these programs may require parental supervision for young children. PG content may air at any time of the day.
MMatureRecommended for viewing by persons aged 15 years or over. Content is MODERATE in impact; These programs may require a mature perspective and are deemed not suitable for all children. M content may only be broadcast between 7:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any day, and additionally between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on schooldays.
MA15+Mature AccompaniedNot suitable for people under 15. Content is STRONG in impact; It is advised people under the age of 15 do not view these programs, due to the strength of the elements within. MA15+ programming may only be broadcast between 8:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any given day. Consumer advice is mandatory.
AV15+Mature Accompanied No longer usedNot suitable for people under 15. Violence is STRONG in impact; this classification was the same as MA15+, except the "AV" stands for "Adult Violence". This category was used specifically for extremely violent programming. The AV classification was only allowed to exceed MA15+ content on the basis of violence, where MA15+ material could contain "some violence". AV15+ material could carry advisory warnings for "frequent violence" or "strong violence". AV15+ content may only be broadcast between 9:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on any day. Consumer advice is mandatory.
The AV15+ classification was abolished after 30 November 2015. Strong impact violence is now incorporated into the MA15+ classification.

Adult "Pay Per View" only
SymbolAbbreviationNameDescription
R18+Restricted R18+Not for anyone under 18; this is limited to Adult "Pay Per View" VC 196 and 197, access to these programs is locked by a personal password. Content may include prolonged scenes of intense violence, sexual situations, coarse language and strong drug use.
X18+Restricted X18+Contains material that is pornographic in nature. No one under 18 may legally rent, buy, possess, exhibit, hire, or view these films. The exhibition or sale of these films to people under the age of 18 years is a criminal offence carrying a maximum fine of $5,500.
EExemptExempt from classification; Only very specific types of material can be exempt from classification and the material cannot contain anything that exceeds the constraints of the PG classification. These include News & Current Affairs, sports broadcasting, education videos and certain documentaries. Many complaints have been handled before, however, regarding LIVE broadcasts.

R18+ and X18+ restricted classifications are not permitted for free-to-air broadcast in Australia.
Many R18+ movies on DVD/Blu-ray are often edited on Free TV/cable networks, to secure an MA15+ classification or lower. Some movies that were classified R18+ on DVD have since been aired on Australian TV with an MA15+ classification.
The two government-owned TV networks, ABC and SBS, are not bound by the same regulations as their commercial counterparts, and are instead each bound by their own Codes of Practice. The guidelines provided by these Codes are similar but not identical to the Codes of Practice for commercial stations. For example, SBS refers to the rating MAV15+ instead of AV15+, while ABC does not use the AV/MAV rating at all; instead programs rated MA15+ must not start before 9:30 p.m., instead of 9:00 p.m.. While the ABC recognizes the G rating, its code of practice does not require that it display its classification symbol on-air in respect to G-rated programming.
Pay television networks also have a different system to the free-to-air networks. In general, all content on pay TV must still be given one of the above ratings; however, there are not usually restrictions on the time of day any particular programming can be broadcast. There is no R18+ rating for pay TV, but its use is strictly limited to special interest channels. FOXTEL, a pay TV company, has a parental lock-out system which can be programmed by parents to stop children from seeing certain programs. In 2009, the system malfunctioned, allowing children access to violent TV shows and films. The restrictions on R18+ rated programming have been increased since then, and those programs can now only be shown on the two adult channels.
Consumer advice
Consumer advice is compulsory for all MA15+ and one-off programs. As well as very short series classified M or higher. Commercial networks have been providing consumer advice to all PG and M programs anyway. As of 8 February 2019, the Nine Network, the Seven Network, Network 10 and SBS along with regional networks Prime7, GWN7, WIN Television, NBN Television no longer uses full-screen and voiced-over boards, prior to the beginning of a program. Instead opting for a small text box in the bottom right-hand corner and top left-hand corner, while ABC and Foxtel continue to use full-screen and voiced-over boards before the start of a program.
Consumer advice takes the form of a full-screen written and verbal announcement at the start of the program, announcing the classification as well as listing the type & strength and/or frequency of any classifiable element. In addition when a program carries consumer advice, appropriate abbreviations are displayed along with the classification symbol after each commercial break. They also usually appear in programming guides, usually in lower case to distinguish from primary classifications. In general, these abbreviations are as follows:
For violence, coarse language and sex scenes, the intensity and/or frequency is mentioned in front of the consumer advice. These include: "mild", "stylised", "some", "frequent" or "strong". Example: "strong sex scenes".

Brazil

A television content rating system in Brazil was implemented following a consultation in 2006. Since then, the television networks themselves rate the shows, while the advisory rating judges the content to guarantee that the rating is appropriate for that specific show. On broadcast networks, where the system is mandatory, the ratings are also translated in Brazilian Sign Language, and may also carry content descriptors. The icons must be shown at the start of each block of the show, and their respective promos.
All rating is advisory unlike films. The Brazilian content rating system utilizes age-specific classifications, and consist of the following:
The Canadian TV Classification System was created in late 1997 for English-language programs to use in conjunction with the V-chip. The upper-right corner of symbols are shaped like the corner of a maple leaf, as is used in the national flag. The icons are intended to be shown once an hour lasting 15 seconds, although in the case of longer programs that do not start on the hour, some broadcasters show the rating at the start and at the top of each subsequent clock hour, while others show the rating at the start and again precisely one hour later. However, there are some networks like Global that only display the television rating at the beginning of the show. The icons are displayed in the upper-left corner and the size should be a minimum of 52 scan lines tall.
Additionally, should a program contain content potentially unsuitable for some viewers, such as violence, coarse language, or nudity, members of the self-regulating Canadian Broadcast Standards Council are required to air a disclaimer at the beginning of the program and at the end of each commercial break, advising viewer discretion. This disclaimer is technically required even if the final commercial break comes immediately before the closing credits, and some channels in fact observe this.
Notably, the television rating given may depend on the level of cable and satellite, or if the program is broadcast over-the-air. Also, television ratings are generally considered more restrictive than movie ratings.

Outside Quebec

The Canadian rating system is as follows:
French-language broadcasters use the Régie du cinéma film rating system for television programming. Logo may or may not appear on screen after every commercial depending on the TV channel.
The devised a content rating system in 1993.

Child specific

Since 1997, Colombian television networks are required to specify programs within dubbed family and adult fringes, and must display a notice signifying the audience, both visually and in narration, the minimum age required to watch the program, if it contains sexual or violent content, and if parental company is needed at the beginning of every program. The networks must also air an 'institutional message' daily at 21:00, inviting children 12 years of age or less to "not to stay exposed to contents which have no essentially child nature." A message must be broadcast at 22:10, Monday through Friday, explaining to viewers that the adult fringe has started. Most networks opt to display a scrolling text message instead.
The ratings are as follows:
Pornography is prohibited from being transmitted over the air in Colombia, even in the adult fringes.

Croatia

In Croatia, television networks show the rating during the broadcast. The Hrvatska Radiotelevizija channels, RTL Televizija, RTL 2, Nova TV and Doma TV all display warnings before a broadcast not meant for a general audience. Broadcasts meant for all audiences do not have a rating. With that in mind, the rating system is the following:
Article 65 of the Communications Law of Ecuador presents the following classification:
The classification to which belongs each program will be arranged by the Consejo de Regulación y Desarrollo de la Información y Comunicación depending on the parameters which are considered relevant.

El Salvador

The Dirección de Espectáculos Públicos, Radio y Televisión, entity attached to the Ministerio de Gobernación y Desarrollo Territorial, regulates the contents exhibited in Salvadoran television.
A content rating system was introduced for Finnish television broadcasts in 2004. The initial ratings system for television programs shown on Finnish television channels consists of the following:
If a program is classified as 'K16' or 'K18', a notification must be shown before broadcast.

France

A content rating system in French is regulated by Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel. Each rating icon is translucent and, as of November 2012, is shown for the whole duration of the show.
There initially was no ratings system for French television. In March 1961, following the broadcast of a film where a female nude was briefly visible, the "white square" was introduced. A white square, replaced by a white rectangle in 1964, was displayed in the corner of the screen. An off-screen voice warned at the beginning of the program that it was unsuitable for all audiences. This system continued until 1996 when the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel replaced it with a system of five pictograms, indicating the suitability of the program. This system was replaced by the current system on 18 November 2002.

Germany

In Germany every broadcaster has to show a disclaimer displaying the sentence Die nachfolgende Sendung ist für Zuschauer unter 16/18 Jahren nicht geeignet before transmission if the program contains potentially offensive content. This roughly translates to The following program is not suitable for viewers under 16/18. The :de:Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Fernsehen|Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Fernsehen checks many shows in private television.

Greece

A new content rating system in Greece was introduced on September 30, 2019. The system is now associated with the age of viewers, and has new visual symbols. The ratings are compulsory, and are displayed and verbally announced at the beginning of each broadcast. These provisions are enforced by the Greek National Council for Radio and Television.
Also, programs suitable for ages 12 and up will be accompanied by a special word marker identifying their content, which is divided into the following four categories:
The Hong Kong television rating system is since by generic code of television programs standard of the Broadcasting Ordinance on December 11, 1995. The current ratings are:
The Hungarian content rating system has changed frequently. The ratings of the programs broadcast often caused legal interferences, since the radio and television authorities have stricter guidelines about age appropriate rating categories for programs. If a program is not marked with the television authority's choice of rating symbol, the airing channel often has to pay large penalties to Hungarian authorities.
In 2002, a new rating system was devised. Ranking programs and displaying the rating symbols became compulsory on every Hungarian television network. The new rating system caused trouble within these networks, because the channels were required to display the ranking symbols during the entire duration of their programs. The symbols were distracting to viewers, and networks feared that their constant presence could damage the television screen. Because of the complaints, the television authority allowed channels to choose to show the rating symbols on the left or on the right side of the screen. Later, channels were also allowed to increase the transparency of the symbols.
In the current system there are five rating categories:
Similar ratings also apply to films shown in cinemas, however unlike in other countries a viewer cannot be denied access from entering a screening if they are not the age of the rating.

India

In February 2013, in the wake of controversy over suspension of exhibition of the film Vishwaroopam, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting constituted a panel under the Chairmanship of Justice Mukul Mudgal to examine issues of film certification under the Cinematograph Act 1952. One of the for the committee is to examine "the requirement of special categories of certification for the purposes of broadcasting on television channels and radio stations." But, the committee had not made any on this important matter.
The current classifications of films in India are as follows:
The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission regulate broadcast television content that classifies television program into several classifications:
In Italy the classification system changes according to the television station that broadcasts the program. The first group to introduce the TV rating system was Mediaset in 1994, initially only on Canale 5. Italia 1 and Rete 4 adopted the rating system in 1997, while the thematic channels adopted it in 2009. Given the simplicity of the classification system, inspired by traffic lights, the other broadcasters also followed the example of Mediaset. The ratings adopted by Mediaset are the following:
Almost always, the Mediaset programs with a permanent red label can be blocked by activating the locking device of the television set, commonly referred to as "Parental control".
RAI introduced the TV rating system in October 2000, with its logo flashing red, indicating the programs suitable only for adults. At the end of 2007 the logo of the network takes on a color according to the target: red if the program is suitable only for adults and yellow if the parental guidance is suggested for the vision of the program by the children. From 18 May 2010 the rating is represented by a colored line below the logo of the network.
The classifications used by Sky Italia are instead the following:
It is also possible on Sky Italia to use the Parental Control to block the viewing of programs based on their classification.

Lithuania

All television stations show the rating during the broadcast in Lithuania.
Broadcasts meant for all audiences do not have a rating.
With that in mind, the rating system is the following:
In Malaysia, a television rating system was revised in January 2012. Ratings are shown before the program starts.
The classifications are as follows:
The classification system of television programs in Mexico is almost equivalent to that of the movie rating system of the country, and consists of the following:
The classification system of television programs in Morocco is established by the HACA. There are 4 categories. Before the airing of the program, an off-screen voice warned at the beginning of the program that it was unsuitable for all audiences.

Netherlands

The television rating system in the Netherlands was created in 2001 by the Dutch Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media and is known as Kijkwijzer. The same rating systems are used for both television programs and films, and serve partly as guidelines. Animated versions of the icons used are also utilized in visual mediums. They are the same as Dutch film ratings. The system is also used for DVDs in Belgium and selectively used on television broadcasts in Flanders.
The following icons are in use for age rating:
There are also six descriptor icons used:
As of May 1st 2020, New Zealand currently now has one content rating system :
On Free to Air television, programmes classified M can be shown between 9am and 3pm only on school days as designated by the Ministry of Education, but cannot be shown till after 7:30pm on weekends, school holidays and public holidays. Programmes classified 16 or 18 cannot be shown until after the 8:30pm watershed, despite that programmes classified 18 can be shown till after 9:30pm.
On Pay Television; programmes classified 18 can be shown between 9am and 3pm on school days only and cannot be shown on weekends, school days and public holidays till after 8pm. For programmes classified G, PG, M and 16, they can be shown anytime but they must apply parental locks as necessary but only if they classified M or 16.
The following descriptor codes may be added for programmes rated PG or higher:
A television content rating system was introduced in Norway in July 2015. Television broadcasters are obliged to classify their programmes in the following age categories: A, 6 years, 9 years, 12 years, 15 years or 18 years. The classification must be based on the guidelines made by The Norwegian Media Authority. Programmes in the different age categories must be transmitted according to the following time schedule during the day:
Television broadcasters shall specify the age limit acoustically before the programme starts or clearly mark the programme with an age limit throughout its duration. Television broadcasters shall also specify the age limit in programme schedules and electronic programme guides.
The age categories are also applicable to other platforms such as Video on demand-services, videogrammes and cinema theatres.

Peru

The age rating system in Peru was introduced in 2005 by the then-President Alejandro Toledo and came into force for both radio and television broadcasts. Currently, the only free-to-air channels advising their audiences about the rating system are ATV, NexTV and La Tele, since most channels adopted their own system since 2009, starting with América Televisión.
The ratings for television programs are available on some Peruvian channels. The rating system used in Peru is listed below.
SymbolCharacters usedSpanish descriptionEnglish translation
AptApto para todo públicoSuitable for all audiences
14Apto para mayores de catorce añosSuitable for people aged 14 and above
18Apto para mayores de dieciocho añosSuitable for people aged 18 and above

Philippines

In the Philippines, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, commonly known as MTRCB, implements and regulates local television content rating systems. In 1979, it only had implemented two television ratings: "General Viewership" later renamed in 1995 and "Parental Guidance", in the mid 90s till present, some advisories are simply written on the upper left side or at the lower right side of the television screen.
On 6 October 2011, in order to encourage parents to supervise and be responsible with their children in watching television, the MTRCB revamped its rating system, implementing a three-tiered system:
PictogramClassification ratingEnglish nameFilipino nameDescription
GGeneral PatronagePangkalahatan at PagtangkilikSuitable for all audiences.
PGParental GuidancePatnubay at GabayMay contain scenes or other content that are unsuitable for children without the guidance of a parent.
SPGStrong Parental GuidanceStriktong Patnubay at GabayContains mature themes or moderate to intense violence, which may be deemed unfit for children to watch without strong and vigilant parental supervision.

The new ratings was originally to have been a four-tiered system, composed of G, PG, SPG, and M, but some time before the implementation of the new system, the "M" rating was dropped.
The new ratings system is similar to the old one, but the look and the ratings themselves was completely revamped. All of these were only been implemented on Free to-Air Television stations. The new system consists of a new full-screen advisory of the program's rating which is played before every program, whatever the rating of such program is, except in the case of programs with SPG rating, wherein the rating must be aired twice. A rating logo then appears at the bottom right of the screen during a program if it was rated as such. Sometimes, when annotations are to be put and it takes the place of the logo, then it has to be put on the upper left side of the screen, opposite the logo of the TV station.
On 9 February 2012, the SPG rating was implemented, which utilizes at least one of the following content descriptors: T for tema, L for lengguwahe, V or K for karahasan, S for sekswal, H for horror" and D for droga. The rating was first broadcast on the film Cinco'' which was aired in ABS-CBN, where it had its old advisory.

Poland

Before 2000, Poland did not have any uniform classification system for television programs. Some stations, however, applied their own system of signs: in front of the selected films TVP board applied the "Adult only" or "Film for adult audiences only". In Canal+ before the film to show in chart with key Canal+ in the appropriate color. Until 27 February 2000, TVN decided to mark the so-called "adult movies" with a pulsating red 18+ logo. On 1 March 2000, an agreement was reached with Polish television broadcasters as "Friendly media" in order to introduce a uniform system of classification of television programs. Nine television broadcasters - TVP, Polsat, TVN, Nasza TV, Canal+, Wizja TV, Polish Cable Television and TV Niepokalanow - had signed the agreement.
The current Polish television rating system was introduced on 15 August 2005 and consists of five icons. On 28 August 2011 changed the appearance of the characters:
SymbolNameBroadcast restrictionPossible contents
No age limit-Positive or neutral view of the world, little to no violence, non-sexual love, and no sexual content.
For minors from age 7-As above; may additionally contain some mild language, bloodless violence, and a more negative view of the world.
For minors from age 12-May contain some foul language, some violence, and some sexual content.
For minors from age 16Only
8 PM–6 AM		Deviant social behavior, world filled with violence and sexuality, simplified picture of adulthood, display of physical force, especially in controversial social context, immoral behavior without ethic dilemma, putting the blame on the victim, excessive concentration on material possessions.
Permitted from age of 18 onlyOnly
11 PM–6 AM		One-sided display of the joys of adult life without showing responsibilities, social justification of violent behavior, excessive vulgarity, use of racial slurs and social stereotypes, explicit sexual content, praise of aggression or vulgarity, access to these programs is locked by a personal password.

Portugal

For a long time, the only existing regulation on Portuguese television was that programs with potentially shocking or harmful content could air only between 10:30pm and 6am and with a red circular marker on the top-right corner of the screen indicating it was for audiences aged 16 and over.
In 2006, all free-to-air networks decided to complement this rule with a shared, more detailed rating system for TV shows:
These logos must be shown during 10 seconds in the beginning of any program and after every break. If a program is rated 16, it can only be broadcast between 10:30pm and 6am.

Romania

The Romanian content rating system has changed frequently. The ratings of the programs broadcast often caused legal interferences, since the radio and television authorities have stricter guidelines about age appropriate rating categories for programs. If a program is not marked with the television authority's choice of rating symbol, the airing channel often has to pay large penalties to Romanian authorities, except with 24h all-news channels, 24h advertising channels, pay television or pay-per-view channels and foreign broadcasting TV-channels that are subjected to foreign audio-visual regulations from their country of origin.
In 2002, a new rating system was devised. Ranking programs and displaying the rating symbols became compulsory on every Romanian television network. The new rating system caused trouble within these networks, because the channels were required to display the ranking symbols during the entire duration of their programs. The symbols were distracting to viewers, and networks feared that their constant presence could damage the television screen. Because of the complaints, the television authority allowed channels to choose to show the rating symbols on the left or on the right side of the screen. Later, channels were also allowed to increase the transparency of the symbols.
In the current system there are five rating categories:
The rating system for programs and films shown on Russian television:
These logos are shown in the beginning of the program and after every break.

Singapore

Singapore has adopted the use of TV Ratings from 15 July 2011. They consist of PG and PG13 ratings for Free-to-Air TV and NC16 and M18 ratings in addition to the PG and PG13 ratings for Pay TV channels. For Free-to-Air TV, the shows rated PG may be aired anytime while PG13 should air between 10pm to 6am. For Pay TV, PG13 rated programs can be shown anytime. Before the rated program starts the TV channels will show a notification. Currently, only StarHub TV's and Mio TV's self-packaged non-regional Pay TV channels are enabled to carry NC16 and M18 rated content. FashionTV is also Singapore's first official M18 rated channel. M18 rated programs can only be telecasted from 10pm onwards to 6am on Pay TV. Regional channels like Fox Life, Fox Movies and HBO Asia are unable to carry Media Development Authority's film ratings as they are targeted at the same region, which results in programs being subjected to external censorship of a much harsher nature outside Singapore territorial control. Only Video on Demand Pay TV services are allowed to carry R21 content currently. G-rated programs are not required to show a notification for any channel.

Slovakia

Slovakian government accepted a law in 2001, in which television stations are required to display one of the following icons:

Slovenia

Slovenian government accepted a law in 2004, in which television stations are required to play a warning before a program and display one of the following icons:

South Africa

n ratings are issued and certified by the Film and Publication Board, whilst the National Broadcasting Commission regulates the various films and programs. All television stations, cinemas and distributors of DVD, video and computer games must display the following signage:
Additional symbols:
The South Korean television rating system has been in force since 2000, and it started with only four classifications which are All, 7, 13 and 19. In February 2001, all programs except domestic dramas has required to have a rating system. In 2007, rating 13 was changed into 12 and a new rating, 15 is introduced. Most programs have to be rated, except the "exempt" rating below. Even if it qualifies for being exempt, a broadcaster may apply a rating.
Rating icons may be transparent, and can be positioned either on the upper-left or upper-right corner of the screen. The icon has a size of at least 1/20 of the screen, and has black writing on a yellow circle with a white outline. These icons are shown for 30 seconds when the program starts, and are shown again every 10 minutes, and when the program resumes after commercial breaks. This does not apply to 19-rated programs, where the icon must be visible throughout the entire program.
These regulations do not apply to the "All" rating, as it does not have an icon.
A rating disclaimer is displayed on the start of the program for five seconds explaining "This program is prohibited for children under the age of X, so parental accompaniment is required" for 7, 12, and 15 ratings. "All" and "19" ratings have a different disclaimer, which say "This program is suitable for all ages" and "This program is prohibited for children under the age of 19" respectively.
These ratings are used by all South Korean television broadcasters. Despite being intended for viewing outside of the country, KBS World also uses these ratings.
South Korean television ratings do not include content descriptors or advisories as they do in other nations. The ratings are therefore used in a broader sense.

Spain

Unrated programs do not display any icon on the screen; in Catalonia, TP-rated shows do not show any icon as well. Nowadays rating symbols are shown during all the program and in promos; each channel has its right to choose its design and where it has to be placed. The "Infantil" rating it's the exception, because it appears during the first five seconds. In Catalonia, only the 13, 16 and 18 ratings remain transparent in the screen, while the others are seen during the first 30 seconds.

Taiwan

Taiwanese rating system for television programs was introduced on 1 January 1999 with four symbols represented with four Chinese characters :wikt:普|普 for General, :wikt:護|護 for Protected, :wikt:輔|輔 for Parental Guidance and :wikt:限|限 for Restricted, but changed on 13 June 2017 to unify the television age rating with Taiwan's video game and motion picture ratings, and there are five symbols,
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding four articles and suitable for watching by general audiences may be listed as G.
The images of news reports shall conform to the provisions of "G" rate.
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding three articles but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as P.
  1. The portrayal of fighting, larceny, terror, abnormal social phenomenon.
  2. The portrayal of sexual encounters or confused ethics and values.
  3. Other content that has a detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing of children under the age of six.
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding two articles but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as PG-12.
  1. Plots or dialogues that portray crime, violence, terror, blood, abnormality, strangeness or social deformity or other phenomenon, the portrayal of which is slight.
  2. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to portray slight sexual expression or sexual implication.
  3. Other circumstances having detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing children under the age of twelve.
Television programs free of circumstances listed in Article 4 but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as PG-15.
  1. Plots or dialogues that portray crime, terror, blood, violence, abnormality, strangeness or social deformity or other phenomenon, the portrayal of which is not slight but do not cause a sadistic impression or excessive panic.
  2. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to represent sexual expression or sexual implication.
  3. Other content that has a detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing of people under the age of fifteen.
Television programs portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as R and be broadcast by encryption.
  1. Detailed portrayal of gambling, use or trafficking of drugs, robbery, kidnap, murder or other criminal behaviors, and detailed portrayal of the process of suicide.
  2. Content that portrays terror, blood, atrocity, abnormality, etc., the portrayal of which is strong, but acceptable to people over the age of eighteen.
  3. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to portray obscenity or strong sexual implication, but is acceptable to people over the age of eighteen.

    Thailand

In Thailand, a television rating system was introduced in 2006 alongside a movie rating system for movies. In September 2013, the television rating was revised.
Under the new guideline, the so-called ′Free TV′ channels have to label their programs and reschedule their shows to comply in the following categories:
TV programs in Thailand are already labeled by a certain system of categories, a practice criticised by rights group as nanny-state censorship and ridiculed by some Netizens for its confusing standards.

Turkey

The TV content rating system in Turkey was introduced by RTÜK in 2006. The ratings are the following:
There are also content informations which indicate violence/horror, sexuality and negative examples.
News programs, sports competitions, religious ceremonies and commercial communication broadcasts are exempt from the content rating system.

Ukraine

The Ukrainian TV content rating system was adopted on 15 September 2003. It started with three classifications. On 6 May 2016, the classifications were replaced, and TV shows that do not have age restrictions are not rated. The new ratings are as follows:
These designations must be displayed on the lower right corner of the television screen.

United States

TV-Y – This program is aimed at a very young audience, including children from ages 2–6.
TV-Y7 – This program is designed for children age 7 and above.
TV-G – Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages.
Programs rated TV-G are generally suitable for all ages. The FCC states that "this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended." The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating contain little or no violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
TV-PG – Parental guidance is recommended; these programs may be unsuitable for younger children.
TV-14 – This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age.
TV-MA – This program is intended to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.
Some thematic elements, according to the FCC, "may call for parental guidance and/or the program may contain one or more of the following" sub-ratings, designated with an alphabetic letter:
Up to four content descriptors can be applied alongside an applied rating, depending on the kind of suggestive content featured in a program. As the rating increases pertaining to the age, the content matters generally get more intensive. The 'suggestive dialogue' descriptor is used for TV-PG and TV-14 rated programs only, although certain networks may choose to rate their TV-MA programs with the descriptor, while the DLSV sub-ratings are only used with the TV-PG and TV-14 ratings.
An additional content descriptor, "E/I", is applied to select TV-Y, TV-Y7, and TV-G programs that are designed to meet the educational and informative needs of children aged 16 and under. A minimum of three hours of E/I-compliant programming must be broadcast per week by each television network; all E/I programming must air between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Venezuela

Television content in Venezuela is regulated by the Law on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television, introduced in January 2003. Free-to-air television broadcasters are required to classify their programs using the following ratings:
It is mandatory for all Venezuelan television station to broadcast a short presentation, before the broadcast of any programs, made by the same channel, where the type of program, type of production elements include containing and lastly the rating of the program.