Television Content Rating Systems - Brazil

Brazil

The latest version of the Brazilian Informative Classification system was made official on television in mid-2007, although it was already used on motion pictures, video games, and some television networks since 2006. Since then, the television networks themselves rate the shows, while the DJCTQ, the Department of Justice, Classification, Titles and Qualification (Departamento de Justiça, Classificação, Títulos e Qualificação in Portuguese), also known as Dejus, acts as a judge, to guarantee that the rating is appropriate for that specific show.

The Brazilian system:

  • L Livre para Todos os Públicos (All Audiences).
  • 10 Não Recomendado para Menores de 10 Anos (Not Recommended for Viewers Under 10 Years of Age). Programs with this category contain mild sexual and coarse language, obscenities, threat, mild physical or verbal aggression, drug allusions.
  • 12 Não Recomendado para Menores de 12 Anos (Not Recommended for Viewers Under 12 Years of Age). Programs with this category contain Nudity, sexual language, obscenities, violence, sexuality, exposure of people in embarrassing or degrading situations, detailed description of a crime and aggressive acts, physical or verbal aggression (murder or mistreatment of animals, for example), exposure of a corpse, legal or illegal drug use.
  • 14 Não Recomendado para Menores de 14 Anos (Not Recommended for Viewers Under 14 Years of Age). Programs with this category contain nudity, intimate petting, heavy sexual and coarse language, violence (physical or verbal aggression, murder, torture and suicide), illegal drug use, frequent and explicit legal drug use.
  • 16 Não Recomendado para Menores de 16 Anos (Not Recommended for Viewers Under 16 Years of Age). Programs with this category contain sexual intercourse, nudity and heavy petting, graphic violence (murder and heavy physical aggression, torture, rape, mutilation, sexual abuse), explicit illegal drug use, induction to drug use.
  • 18 Não Recomendado para Menores de 18 Anos (Not Recommended for Viewers Under 18 Years of Age). Programs with this category contain explicit sex, pornography, extreme violence (murder, torture, rape, mutilation, graphic exposure of a corpse), frequent and explicit illegal drug use and incest. It is also used to rate pornographic films and shows.


People under the minimum age indicated by the rating can watch the TV show accompanied by their parents, except for pornographic shows. No "parental guidance" ratings are used.

On broadcast networks, where the system is mandatory, the ratings are also translated in LIBRAS—Língua Brasileira de Sinais (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. Each network uses the system with slight differences:

  • Globo and MTV show the ratings before each show, and use content descriptors only for 16- and 18-rated shows.
  • SBT shows the ratings at the start of each show, does not use sign language translation for L-rated programming, and uses content descriptors only for 16- and 18-rated shows.
  • Record, its sister network Record News, Band and its sister network Rede 21 show the ratings before each show, and do not use content descriptors.
  • RedeTV! shows the ratings at the start of each show, and uses content descriptors for all programming, including L-rated programs, which do not normally use such descriptors.

The system also regulates when certain programming may air on broadcast television:

  • ER-, L- and 10-rated programming can air at any time
  • 12-rated programming may air only between 8 pm and 6 am
  • 14-rated programming may air only between 9 pm and 6 am
  • 16-rated programming may air only between 10 pm and 6 am
  • 18-rated programming may air only between 11 pm and 6 am

On cable networks, the system is voluntary, and also used differently for each network:

  • Warner Channel, the first cable channel to use the system, Fox and sister networks FX, Fox Life and National Geographic Channel, show the ratings, with content descriptors, at the start, and the icons halfway through each show.
  • History shows the ratings only at the start of each show.
  • Disney-owned Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney Channel and Disney XD, and Viacom-owned Nickelodeon and VH1 show the ratings at the start of each show, and the icons at the start of each block (though Nickelodeon shows the complete ratings at the start of each block).
  • Sony-owned Sony Entertainment Television, AXN and Animax show the ratings, with content descriptors, before each show, and around halfway through that show.
  • Discovery networks, such as the Discovery Channel, People+Arts, Discovery Kids and Animal Planet, carry larger icons at the start of each show, and smaller icons at the start of each block, similar to the US cable industry standards.

Programming on cable networks can air at any time, regardless of its rating.

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