Networks push for shake-up to M-rated timezones
Free TV Australia is looking to shake up classification timezones to play M rated material earlier than 8:30pm.
- Published by David Knox
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Commercial network lobby group Free TV Australia is looking to shake up classification timezones to be able to play M rated material earlier than 8:30pm, arguing that current regulations are obsolete in the digital age.
In its submission to ACMA’s inquiry into community safeguards, Free TV argues that with parental locks and two Free to Air channels screening children’s content (ABC3, ABC4Kids on ABC2), that current rules are “irrelevant.”
“Free TV recommends the removal of time zone restrictions for commercial free-to-air television broadcasters, on a staged basis if necessary,” it states.
“The requirement to only show certain content at certain times of the day is outdated and puts commercial free-to-air broadcasters at a disadvantage in terms of their scheduling strategies.”
Free TV is proposing a compromise of 7:30pm for M rated material.
Free TV chief executive Julie Flynn told News Corp: “In analog, time zones were seen as an essential tool in protecting children from inappropriate content. Today there are a myriad of options available to parents to regulate and control what their children see, including parental locks, EPGS, on demand content and DVDs as well as two dedicated ad-free children’s channels on the ABC.
“The current time zone restrictions do not make sense in a converged media environment where viewers are accessing content from a range of sources on a single screen.”
But Barbara Biggins chief executive of Australian Council on Children and the Media was concerned about protecting children.
“They are going to be exposed to adult concepts they don’t understand, and to glamorised violence,” she said.
“More children will choose to use aggression when put in conflict situations, and will become desensitised to violence.”
ACMA general manager for content, consumer and citizen Jennifer McNeill said: “The ACMA accepts that the time zones mandated for broadcasting codes are under strain as a regulatory tool. However, the extent of this strain and the appropriate way to address it in regulation is less clear.”
In TV Tonight’s recent Audience Inventory, 43% of viewers indicated they were not likely to be offended by Violence, Language, Sexual Content and References on television, with 38% nominating Violence the more offensive.
22 Responses
@Josh777- thanks for the information on online streaming and downloading services (none of which I do) and the affordable dvds, but you know why I like Free to air Tv? Yep ços it’s free! I like the status quo so I’ll have to respectfully disagree.
@ Sammee – our parents didn’t have online streaming and downloading services, as well as movies that can affordably be brought on DVD/Blu-Ray and so their means of entertaining revolved are broadcast television. Now, its a completely different ball game and should be treated as such. If people want to watch an M rated show prior to 8:30pm they can, its just a matter of whether they are watching it on broadcast TV or by another means (a perfect example is the uptake in Timeshift viewing).
Well I am 52 and I remember shows like the A-Team, Charlies Angels, MacGyver, Magnum, P.I. and the like where on at 7:30pm, so I can’t see why some of the ones I mentioned before cannot be, after all NCIS is an 8pm show in the US (or 7 Central), as is Bones so why not here.
The main problem here like I said is that I don’t think the Networks would move aside there “Event TV Shows” for that sort of thing anyway. White Collar is a PG show and has only recently been put on ONE at 7:30pm, there was no reason TEN couldn’t have done that on TEN.
@Jbar- agreed. @ Nathan- I don’t have the news on at dinnertime and my kids do read but sometimes we all like to sit down and watch a show together. @Josh777- I’m not getting Foxtel when all my family requires is family friendly viewing between 7pm and 8.30. Also did our parents have to use parental locks when we were growing up? No they waited until the appropiate time and then watched their M rated show. Gee you wonder how they tolerated that back then.
I think this is the right way forward and starting M at 7:30pm is a good start.
The Simpsons for example is edited alot because of a brief M rated joke. Season 24 had about 4 episodes that were edited and also 1 episode which has to be rated M that was skipped and hasn’t even got a airdate yet because of these rules. Not to mention all the other episodes that have been edited over the years.
I am for this and parents should be able to work the parental lock if they are concerned.
*meant the violence levels on NCIS and etc., are low and Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are PG TV14 (not that they have low violence levels).
In addition I just thought perhaps we could have the M Rated at 8pm to start with, much like how in the US, shows atrat at 8pm-9pm, the Reality ones could then be 7pm-8pm.
There are some M Rated Shows like Chuck, Psych, NCIS, Under The Dome, Rizzoli and Isles and etc., that are probably tame enough for 7:30pm anyway (they’re all PG TV14 in the US). As lets face it they have less (or at least the same) sexual banter as something like The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother and the violence levels on those are pretty tame (which are also PG TV14).
Though I guess the networks would mainly use it for there other Digital Channels though because I can’t see them changing to drama etc., in those 7:30 timeslots over reality shows (otherwise something like Winners and Losers would be at that time now to name one PG show).
My opinion is that there is no real reason why M rated shows shouldn’t be shown earlier, given you can watch MA+ rated shows all day on Foxtel and they don’t have any problems. If parents are too worried about no family friendly programming after 7:30pm, subscribe to Foxtel for $47 a month and you have 3 kids channels (or 8 for $62 a month) to choose from that run 24/7.
@ Beckala – Hahahahaha that is terrific!!
The US starts its network programming at 8pm and will allow stuff we rate M to be shown then.
They are much looser on violence. But much, much stricter on nudity, sex and bad language, even in late night slots on FTA.
What TV Tonight viewers are OK with in M and MA shows is not the issue. It is whether or not networks should serve the public by showing family friendly TV at 7:30pm.
Pretty much every sitcom and drama is rated M or MA these days so they can’t be shown at 7:30pm. Also with their late running dramas starting at 9:38pm or later are just being time shifted.
So they now want to show stuff at 7:30pm. But only when they are aren’t staggering contest shows across timeslots to disrupt viewing on other channels.
However FTA is still the main family entertainment in the living room and they are being pretty much given licences to serve the public (and make a profit for themselves).
None of the arguments justify dumping family entertainment and forcing families to go to difficult lengths to stop their children seeing stuff they don’t want them too. All because it might allow Nine to float for a higher price.
Considering that our M classification is considerably more relaxed than equivalent classification categories in other Western countries (particularly in terms of sex/language/nudity), I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with networks being allowed to screen the sort of content that can be accommodated within our M rating.
And often networks do not properly classify their programmes in order to fit them into a more marketable timezone. The likes of NCIS and SVU contain adult themes, violence and autopsy procedures that should result in them being rated MA15+ more often, but they scarcely are, as Ten wants to be able to play these shows at 8.30pm. As long as nobody’s complaining, they seem to get away with it.
Well I think that we should catch up with the digital age>no Wonder the networks are crying poor.93% of us have digital tv-set top boxes-pvr.
Parents need to take more care in what children are doing,sit down with them spend some time with them.Us adults that can not afford foxtel,! They are allowed to show MA 24/7.They have lock out systems.How many people use them?
With rating lockout mechanisms on digital TV’s this will be the future. I know my family is watching less and less live TV and catchup services with no classification timezones are getting better and better.
Besides there is already M rated content before 7:30 on free to air . It’s called the news. It includes plenty of disturbing violence, sex and adult themes updated throughout your programming. Is that less scary than fiction?
From Clueless:
“So, OK. The Attorney General says there’s too much violence on TV, and that should stop. Even if you took out all the violent shows, you could still see the news. So until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there’s no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value.”
I reckon that they should be left as is, other countries have their watershed later than 8.30 (in the UK it’s 9pm) and the broadcasters seem to cope OK with that.
Personally though, I’d like to see broadcasters demonstrate a little more tact with their choice of trailers during kids programming. I’ve lost count of the amount of times my kids have seen a wholly inappropriate teaser during a kids show.
@Sammee If you’re so worried about M rated programs, what would happen if they saw a news report about oh I don’t the conflict in Syria at dinner time. Look in the article, there are things called parental locks. It comes down to this, if you don’t want them to see it, turn the TV off and put a book in front of them. If the USA TV networks can show NCIS, Arrows and other show at 8pm why can’t we.
2 things I’d like to mention, and they’ll make me sound old and conservative haha, even though I’m 30 and not: 1) I’ve been annoyed at some of the things creeping in to TV eg. I don’t see how a show can be called shitsville express, or funny as *bleep*.
2) This move just shows a lack of creativity I think. Can networks not seriously find an hour or two’s worth of family friendly content each night? Apparently not, why else would they want M rated stuff on earlier. Even now all the sitcoms are based around sexual innuendo. If I had a family I’d be watching DVDs every night and avoiding TV I think.
All digital TVs and set top boxes know the time and each program’s rating.
Is program rating restriction function (“parental lock”) mandatory in Australia for FTA DTV receivers? If not FreeTV probably have a problem…
Why do we need to have even less family friendly viewing on free to air? They should leave it as it is on Free to Air.
Another way for parents to regulate and control what their children see: Turn off the TV! I’m sick of advocate groups protecting children because parents don’t.
This morning I saw a segment on Sunrise about bill shock in the App Store where kids are purchasing in game Apps. They were talking of how to stop this. How about not giving your three year old your smart phone? Putting a lock code on the device, disabling your credit card from the account. People are so stupid these days. It should be less of “Won’t somebody please think of the children?” and more of “how can we eradicate lazy parenting without punishing intelligent people who do things properly?”
What Julie Flynn says makes sense.
Foxtel run anything anytime, and so they should, they have parental locks.
Parental locks are on all digital TV’s. Once 2014 arrives the entire country can ultilise them.
And also, with the large amount of PVR’s in Aust. households what’s stopping a child from recording something M rated and watchin back the next day?
It’s up to the parents to take more control of their childrens viewing.
Timebands are a thing of the past in this timeshifted world.
Well ABC4kids ends at 7pm and the majority of kids I know go to bed between 7.30 & 8.30pm. Is it too much to ask to just leave things as they are? Adults have options too but I guess it’s ok to tell little johnny to turn the tv off or go to bed at 7pm because kids don’t really matter do they? What sort of programs are they thinking of putting up that require violence or sexual content? A well told story requires none of these.