This week the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) announced a new self-rating agreement with Prime Video, building on the existing relationship between the two organisations, which dates back to 2015.
As part of this new agreement, Prime Video will be allowed to produce trusted and recognised BBFC age ratings internally making it easier for Prime Video customers to confidently choose the right content for themselves and their families.
The BBFC standards of classification are based on extensive research with audiences to ensure ratings are accurately reflected with expectations of what is appropriate for children to see in media content.
The BBFC will work closely with Prime Video and its vast catalogue of content to embed these standards within the company’s internal compliance process. Following the successful completion of a 12-month pilot, Prime Video will be able to generate BBFC age ratings in-house – initially for its Amazon Originals and Exclusives.
Regularly these Prime Video classifications will be audited by the BBFC to ensure the self-rating process delivers high levels of accuracy on a consistent and ongoing basis.
Looking to the future, the partnership’s ultimate aim is to achieve widespread coverage of BBFC age ratings across the majority of Prime Video’s SVoD (Subscription Video on Demand) and TVoD (Transactional Video on Demand) content offerings. This will greatly benefit UK audiences who look for known, familiar age ratings wherever they watch content.
Research published by the BBFC earlier this year revealed that eight in ten (81%) people want a consistent age rating system across cinema, physical media, and Video on Demand and streaming services. The research also showed that the BBFC and its iconic age rating symbols remain highly trusted, recognised and valued by audiences across the UK. 90% of parents/caregivers, 91% of teachers, and 88% of teens aged 16-19 say that they trust BBFC age ratings all or most of the time.
David Austin OBE, Chief Executive, BBFC said:
Our latest Classification Guidelines research shows that trust in the BBFC is at an all-time high. People told us just how much they value seeing our age ratings wherever and however they decide to watch content.
Which is why we’re delighted to take this significant next step in our relationship with Prime Video, making it even easier for audiences to make informed choices about the content they watch on Prime. This partnership is a fantastic example of best practice, which we hope to replicate with other streaming services operating in the UK to help and empower families, in line with the clearly expressed preference for consistency.
Chris Bird, UK Managing Director, Prime Video said:
We have worked with the BBFC for years at Prime Video UK to ensure that our customers have the information they need to choose what to watch with confidence.
We are delighted to be extending our partnership with a view to achieving even greater coverage of the BBFC’s age ratings, which we know are understood and trusted by the vast majority of UK audiences. This important work enables us to give our customers the best possible user experience.
