Watershed (television)

Watershed (television)

In television, watershed is the point in time after which programmes with adult content may be broadcast. In the same way that a watershed in British and Australian usage refers to "the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas", a television watershed serves as a dividing line. It divides the day into the period where family oriented programming suitable for children may be aired and where programming aimed at or suitable for a more adult audience is permitted though not required. It may also mean the period of time during which programmes with adult content may be broadcast. Examples of adult content include, but are not limited to, graphic violence, horror, strong language, nudity, sexual intercourse, gambling, and drug use, or references to these themes without necessarily portraying them. In most countries, the same set of rules also apply to commercial advertisements both for the content of the commercial and the nature of the product or service being advertised. Watershed may have alternative names in other countries and in the the United States it is known as safe harbour and as adult time in Venezuela.

Due to cultural differences around the world, watershed times can vary. For instance, in New Zealand, the watershed time starts at 20:30, and in Italy it starts at 22:30. Some countries also have multiple watershed layers, where less inappropriate content than others may be allowed at an earlier time but may still be restricted. In addition, some countries may be more lenient towards subscription or pay-per-view channels than towards free-to-air channels.