Unrated in debate
By Marcy Magiera -- Video Business, 4/13/2007
APRIL 13 | It looks like unrated DVDs, which made a cause celebre at ShoWest last month when NATO called them “a cheap shot at the ratings system,” are going to enjoy—or endure—that status for awhile.
No less than the federal government has seen to it, lumping unrated discs together with R-rated movie tickets, R-rated DVDs, music labeled for explicit content and M-rated videogames in its latest report on the marketing and sales of violent entertainment to children.
In a “mystery shop” in which it sent teens ages 13 to 16 into retailers alone, the Federal Trade Commission found that the kids were able to buy unrated DVDs 71% of the time—exactly the same frequency with which they were able to buy R-rated DVDs.
Frankly, I’m surprised the kids weren’t able to buy unrated DVDs 100% of the time since they are—you’ve got it—unrated. Even the most strict retail enforcers of the voluntary ratings system have no solid grounds to withhold unrated product from teens—unless they have received individual guidelines from the parents or are willing to jump to making case-by-case judgments about what customers should be allowed to buy or rent. I know I wouldn’t want to go there—and might not want to shop at a store that did.
While the concerned opponents of unrated DVDs look at them as exploiting a loophole in the ratings system, it should be noted that the edgier versions generally include only minor amounts of content not submitted for the rated version. Funnier, sexier, more gory marketing aside, in most cases, the unrated version would receive the exact same rating as the film got in its theatrical release if it were submitted to the MPAA ratings board.
In the case of R-rated DVDs, retailers did improve in their enforcement of the ratings, though not nearly enough. In 2003, 81% of teens were able to buy R-rated DVDs, vs. 71% last year. In comparison, kids could get into an R-rated movie at a theater only 39% of the time and buy an M-rated videogame just 42% of the time.
At the risk of suggesting there ought to be more political pressure on home entertainment retailers, the theatrical and videogame sectors have undoubtedly achieved the enforcement rates they have in part because of the watchful eyes of local, state and federal governments. (Hot coffee, anyone?)
Now that videogame and DVD retailers share a trade representative in EMA, group president Bo Andersen has committed to extending to DVD retailing those programs that have been used effectively to increase voluntary videogame ratings education and enforcement.
It would be great to see R-rated DVD sales to kids drop to the videogame-movie ticket range the next time the feds come shopping.
