TV ratings
The U.S. TV Parental Guidelines, from TV-Y to TV-MA, and the content letters D, L, S, V and FV.
Ratings 6 symbols
Content letters 1 symbol
About tV ratings
The TV Parental Guidelines are the US television industry’s ratings: six age ratings, from TV-Y and TV-Y7 for children’s programs to TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14 and TV-MA for the general audience, and content letters that say what earned the rating: D, L, S, V and FV. The system is voluntary. The industry drew it up after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 called for a rating system that would work with the V-chip, and revised it with advocacy groups in 1997 to add the letters; the FCC found it acceptable in March 1998. The rating icon appears in the upper-left corner of the screen for the first 15 seconds of a program, and many channels show it again after each commercial break. Each rating and the letters have their own page.
Who rates programs
There is no rating board. Broadcast and cable networks or the program’s producers rate their own programs, episode by episode, so one series can carry different ratings; for syndicated programs the distributor usually rates them, and local stations may substitute their own rating. The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board checks that the ratings are applied consistently and reviews complaints about them. Besides its chairman, it has 18 industry members appointed by the National Association of Broadcasters, NCTA and the Motion Picture Association, and five public interest members.
What is not rated
News and sports are exempt, and most religious and home shopping programs carry no rating. Commercials are not rated. Uncut theatrical films on premium channels such as HBO and Showtime keep their MPA film rating; films edited for broadcast or basic cable are given a TV rating.
The V-chip
The ratings are sent with the program so that a TV can block it. Since 2000, every new TV set 13 inches or larger has had a V-chip, which can block programs by rating, by content letter, or both. Blocking a rating also blocks the ratings above it. The V-chip blocks nothing until it is switched on, and by default a TV does not block unrated programs.
Sources
- About Us (TV Parental Guidelines), TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board
- Frequently Asked Questions (TV Parental Guidelines), TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board
- Implementation of Section 551 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Video Programming Ratings, Report and Order (FCC 98-35), CS Docket No. 97-55, adopted 12 March 1998, Federal Communications Commission
- The V-Chip: Options to Restrict What Your Children Watch on TV, Consumer guide, last reviewed 10 December 2019, Federal Communications Commission
- 47 CFR § 15.120: Program blocking technology requirements for television receivers, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
Last reviewed October 2, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research