- Fifty years on, viewers increasingly feel the
time of the watershed is ‘about right’
- Ofcom is working to ensure TV rules continue to
protect children in future
The watershed,
which continues to be a vital tool in protecting young TV viewers, is 50 years
old this month.
In July 1964,
Parliament passed the law that led to measures to protect children from seeing
harmful or offensive material on TV in the evenings.
Fifty years
on, new Ofcom research shows that most
adult TV viewers are aware of the 9pm watershed as a valued way of indicating
what is suitable for young viewers.
When the watershed
was introduced, broadcasters were scheduling programmes such as Z Cars and
Dixon of Dock Green. While many of these TV programmes have long since
disappeared, the watershed – now enforced by Ofcom – remains a
widely understood means of protecting children.
Ofcom’s
research shows that 98% of adults in the UK watch TV. Among TV viewers, 94% are
aware that the watershed requires broadcasters only to show programmes
unsuitable for children after a certain time (compared to 91% in
2008).
Today, more TV
viewers believe the watershed is at about the right time (78% in 2013 compared
to 70% in 2008), Ofcom’s report on UK audience attitudes to broadcast
mediashows. When asking parents who watch TV whether the watershed is at
about the right time, this increases to 80%, compared to 72% in 2008.
Similar
proportions of adults who watch TV believe that it should be the responsibility
of ‘both broadcasters and parents equally’ (49%) and ‘mainly
parents’ (46%) to ensure children do not see unsuitable
programming.
With over a third
(37%) of children aged 5-15 with internet at home now watching
‘on-demand’ content, Ofcom is working with Government and
industry to examine how TV protections will continue to apply in a digital
world.
Ofcom’s duties
Ofcom has a duty
to protect viewers, especially children, from harmful and offensive content on
TV. If broadcasters show programmes that break the rules, Ofcom imposes
sanctions, including fines.
Watershed rules
state that the transition to more adult material after 9pm must not be unduly
abrupt, and the strongest material should appear later in the evening. But even
then, Ofcom’s rules protect viewers from harmful and offensive
content.
Audience
attitudes
Understanding
audience attitudes and expectations supports Ofcom in its role in protecting
all viewers.
In the past five
years, there have been falls in the number of viewers saying there is
‘too much’ violence (35% of adult viewers in 2013, down from 55% in
2008), sex (26% in 2013 versus 35% in 2008) and swearing (35% in 2013 versus
53% in 2008) on TV.
One reason for
this is a change in attitude among older viewers. The number of viewers over 65
who believe there is too much swearing (78% in 2008 compared to 55% in 2013)
and violence (75% in 2008 compared to 52% in 2013) has fallen over the past
five years.
Among those adults
who had been offended by something on TV in the last 12 months (18% of adult
viewers), nearly four times more people are likely to continue watching the
programme than in 2008 (5% in 2008 versus 19% in 2013) and less likely to turn
off the TV altogether (32% in 2008 compared to 19% in 2013).
Protecting
viewers in the future
While on-demand TV
is estimated to account for only 2.5% of TV viewing, Ofcom recognises this
poses new challenges.
Ofcom is working
with Government, other regulators and industry to ensure that children remain
protected if they choose on-demand TV over traditional broadcast TV, where
Ofcom’s strict watershed rules apply.
This would mean
that consumers have a clear understanding of the protections that apply on
different platforms and devices, and know which regulatory body to turn to if
they have any concerns.
Tony Close,
Director of Standards at Ofcom, said: “Fifty years on, the TV watershed
remains a vital means of protecting viewers.
“While
attitudes have changed over the decades, Ofcom ensures that TV standards meet
the expectations of viewers. We take robust enforcement action when the rules
are broken, which reflects the importance we place on protecting
children.”
Claudio Pollack,
Director of Ofcom’s Consumer and Content Group, said: “Ofcom
recognises that the growth of on-demand TV is posing new challenges for parents
and regulators.
“We’re
working on ways to help ensure that the protections viewers expect from the
watershed apply beyond broadcast TV.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR
EDITORS
- An
infographic highlighting Ofcom’s research on audience attitudes to
broadcast media is published on the Ofcom website.
- Ofcom
takes action against broadcasters who break the rules around the watershed. We
have found over 350 programmes in breach for broadcasting unsuitable material
before or immediately after the watershed since 2004. Examples of sanctions
taken for breaking the 9pm watershed include: fining E! Entertainment
(£40,000) for broadcasting sexually explicit material; fining Scuzz TV
(£10,000) for playing a music video that contained drug taking, nudity
and offensive language; and fining Just4Us (£60,000) and Playboy TV
(£50,000) for broadcasting interactive adult chat adverts before the
watershed.
- The 1964
Television Act was passed in July 1964. This set in motion the need to protect
children from violence on TV and ultimately the watershed. It required the
Independent Television Authority (ITA) to draw up, and from’ time to time
review, a code giving guidance about the screening of scenes of violence,
particularly when large numbers of children and young persons would be expected
to be watching. The ITA also updated its ‘family viewing policy’ at
this time to include a ‘family viewing’ period lasting until 9pm.
In its annual report (1963-4), the ITA suggested that material injurious to
children, such as X-rated films, should be excluded by broadcasters before
9pm.
- The Media
Tracker study was conducted for Ofcom by BDRC Continental using face-to-face
interviews. The questionnaire was conducted in two waves (one in spring and one
in winter 2013). Over both halves of the fieldwork a sample of 1,838 adults
aged 16+ were interviewed and weighted to be representative of the
UK.
- Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets standards for
television and radio shows and broadcasters must follow its rules. There are
strict rules about what can be shown on TV before the watershed, which begins
at 9pm. Material unsuitable for children should not, in general, be shown
before 9pm or after 5.30am. Unsuitable material can include everything from
sexual content to violence, graphic or distressing imagery and swearing. For
example, the most offensive language must not be broadcast before the watershed
on TV or, on radio, when children are particularly likely to be
listening.
- Ofcom is
working with other regulators through the ParentPort
website to make it clear to parents about how and who they can
complain if they or their children see unsuitable material in a variety of
media and advertising.