PG13 rating makes its way into TV shows, movies

TV shows, videos and movies in Singapore may be classified as PG13, and will have standardised content ratings and rating symbols starting from Friday.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) said these changes are part of its efforts to help parents make informed decisions about protecting their children from inappropriate content in the media.

The initiatives also follow the government's acceptance of the Censorship Review Committee's (CRC) recommendations last September for a simpler ratings system.

The new PG13 rating, which indicates content suitable for children 13 and above, aims to bridge the gap between the current PG and NC16 rating.

As an advisory rating, under-13s can still watch a PG13 programme without their parents.

Announcing the changes on Friday, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts Grace Fu said, "PG13 came about because parents told us that the gap between PG and NC16 is too wide."

PG13 films could have dark themes, moderate violence or sexual humor. (For more details, click here for the film classification guidelines.

Movies such as The Dark Knight and IP Man 2, rated PG, could have been rated PG13 instead. Meet the Fockers, rated NC16 for sexual humor, may also have made it as PG 13.

It is less likely for a NC16 film to be rated as PG13 because of the distinct characteristics of a NC16 film, noted MDA's director of content & standards, Amy Chua.

Every year, some 750 films are submitted to MDA for classification. Of these, about 60 percent are rated PG. MDA estimates about 5 to 10 percent of PG films would qualify for a PG13 rating.

While films, videos and TV programmes had separate classification systems previously, they will now adopt the film classification framework as a standard rating.

"It will facilitate the crossover of content across various platforms. What you see in the cinema, you can buy it on video and show on Pay TV, provided it's the same title, the same content," said Chua.

"It facilitates the growth of the media industry and for parents and the public, harmonisation of ratings will make it a lot easier for them to understand classification ratings on any platform."

Free-to-air (FTA) TV broadcasters can show content up to a PG13 rating (to be aired between 10pm to 6am), while Pay TV and video content can have a M18 rating.

Other initiatives launched on Friday include superimposing ratings and consumer advice on the screen more often and ensuring Internet Service Providers take a more active step to promote Internet filters.

Audiences can also access the films classification database through their mobile phones by the end of the year.

To help parents make effective use of classification tools, MDA is launching a public education drive.

Said Ms Fu,"Over the past 10 years, content classification in Singapore has evolved in line with societal needs. ... MDA is fine-tuning its regulatory framework continuously in order to stay relevant to the society."

"Effective regulation calls for a shared and common goal amongst the industry, the regulator and the public," she noted.

More content for viewers, more help for parents

Pay TV operators StarHub and SingTel welcomed the new rating.

Deputy chief executive of television at broadcaster MediaCorp Chang Long Jong told Yahoo! Singapore that viewers can have more content previously disallowed on FTA TV.

MediaCorp's Channel 5 and Channel 8 will air the first PG 13 rated programmes on 23 July. They are The Making of Walking Dead and Hong Kong detective thriller Loving You, respectively.

Later this year, PG13 shows include The Pacific, a blockbuster war drama series.

A spokesperson for Cathay believes the move to introduce PG13 will "ultimately allow for a wider audience to catch movies that may have otherwise been rated NC16, based on the former classification".

"The PG13 rating is an established advisory rating in many countries with good success. Now, with the parents having informed choices, we hope they will allow or accompany their children to even more movies," added film distributor Shaw Organisation's vice president of media Terence Heng.

"We welcome the new rating as more films can reach a wider audience and make cinema going even more vibrant."

A Golden Village spokesperson said the company did not foresee the new classification impacting business, but he felt it would help parents determine suitable films for their children.

"PG13 is really to indicate that (a film has) certain content I need to guide my child with," said housewife Ariel Ong, 37, a mother of a five-year-old boy.

And while another mother Jane Yang, 38, felt it is hard to control children's viewing habits, she was glad under-13s are not restricted from watching PG13 content.

Some children mature faster than others, so it is better to offer them more choices, she said.

Among the CRC recommendations, the government also gave the green light to R-21 content for video-on-demand on cable. MDA will introduce it as soon as it has worked out implementation details, such as designing parental locks.