Watershed (television)
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Watershed is a term used in the United Kingdom and Canada to describe a time in television schedules beyond which it is permissible to show television programmes which have 'adult content'. Adult content can be generally defined as having at least some nudity, explicit sexual intercourse, graphic violence, strong language, or drug references or use.
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[edit] International watersheds
[edit] Australia
On Australian television (Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|MA15+) programmes are not allowed to be shown before 9:00pm at night. However, the time difference between New South Wales and Queensland during daylight saving in the former, and the fact that some stations that broadcast into southern Queensland from northern New South Wales (specifically the Gold Coast), effectively pushed the watershed time back to 8.30pm. Complaints from concerned citizens forced these stations to broadcast as per local time.
Since its inception in 1995 Pay TV channel Adults Only has only broadcast from 10:45pm (9:45pm at times) until 4:45am. Although it is advertised until 6:00am, it broadcasts only a test signal in the intervening time. However since the inception of Adults Only Select (a pay-per-view service) in 2004, it has all but eliminated the watershed time.
- See also: Adult Swim
[edit] Austria, Germany and Switzerland
In the main German-speaking countries, the watershed is between 10:00pm and 5:30am. However, programmes marked "Keine Jugendfreigabe" under FSK may only be shown after 11:00pm.
[edit] Canada
The watershed starts at 9:00pm, and finishes at 6:00am the next morning. Sexually explicit content, some offensive language and other adult material is not allowed outside the watershed.
See also: Censorship in Canada
[edit] New Zealand
On free-to-air channels (but not SKY) programming rated Adults Only is only allowed between 8:30pm and 5am. Adults Only programming is also allowed to air between midday and 3pm on school days (this situation is probably unique to New Zealand). Sports programming and news bulletins are exempt from the system altogether, but should still carry warnings before certain stories.
[edit] Republic of Ireland
The watershed on standard television starts at 9:00pm, and finishes at 5:30am the next morning. On premium film or pay-per-view services requiring a subscription, the watershed starts at 8:00pm. 18-rated material is not allowed to be shown before 10:00pm.
[edit] United Kingdom
According to Ofcom, the watershed on standard television starts at 9:00pm, and finishes at 5:30am the next morning. On premium film or pay-per-view services requiring a subscription, the watershed starts at 8:00pm.
There should be a gentle transition to adult material, and 18-rated material is not allowed to be shown before 10:00pm.
See also: The Ofcom Broadcasting Code - Section 1
[edit] United States
The watershed (or "safe harbor") begins at 10:00pm and finishes at 6:00am the next morning (all time zones), though some content (explicit human sexual intercourse and frontal nudity, for example) is never allowed by the FCC rules. Note that FCC rules only apply to channels broadcast terrestrially and not those only available on cable, such as certain restricted-access networks (like the premium channels HBO and Showtime and adult channels Playboy TV and Spice). Some of the most infamous scenes of American television (like the naked cast of NYPD Blue) happened at the 10:00pm-11:00pm hour; however, these broadcasts were before the Safe Harbor in the Central and Mountain time zones, where programming scheduled for 10:00pm EST would typically be broadcast starting at 9:00pm (using a one-hour tape delay in Mountain time).
Because the FCC interprets safe harbor times as local time, some networks would get fined for complying with the law in one part of the country, while breaking the law in other time zones, Such was the case with CBS, who was fined USD $3.63 million for a repeat episode of Without a Trace in December 2004, which was televised at 10:00pm in the Eastern and Pacific time zones (within the watershed), but at 9:00pm in Central and Mountain times (outside the watershed). It's these time zones that led the FCC to issue the fines, to be split among 111 CBS affiliates covering these time zones. [1]
In the 1970s, the ill-fated Family Viewing Hour tried to make the 8:00pm-9:00pm hour safe for family consumption, but was overturned in court due to the way it was instituted.
