Children’s programs classifications

C and P classifications are used for programs that are made specifically for children.

The C classification is given to programs for children (other than preschool children) who are younger than 14 years of age. The P classification is given to programs for preschool children. Preschool children are defined as children who have not started school.

There are different categories of C and P classification that can be granted at different stages of program production. Classification can either be provisional or final.

Provisional C and Provisional P classification

The Provisional C and Provisional P classifications are intended for applicants who are in the early stages of production and have limited material to lodge for assessment.

Provisional classification provides an early indication to an applicant thata proposed program is likely to meet the CTS 6 criteria and could achieve full classification from the ACMAwhen sought.

Provisional classification is not a guarantee that a program will subsequently receive either C or P classification.

A program with a Provisional classification cannot be broadcast as a C or P program.

C and P classifications

Final C and P classifications are intended for applicants who are in advanced stages ofproduction or are producing Australian children’s drama and have the required number of scripts.

Programs granted C or P classification—including C Drama (on completed program) and C Drama (at pre-production stage)—can be broadcast and count toward the licensee’s minimum annual quotas for children’s programming.

Types of C and P programs

Programs granted C and P classification are diverse in nature and can include drama and non-drama programs in a variety of live action, animation or puppetry formats. Types of non-drama programs include magazine programs, game shows and variety programs.

A summary of the categories of classification and types of C and P programs is provided in Table 2.

Table 2: Categories of classification

Classification type

Provisional P What stage of production?

For programs at an early stage of production—such as first draft scripts

Provisional C

For programs at an early stage of production—such as first draft scripts

P

C

For programs at an advanced stage of production—such as a broadcast quality pilot episode

For programs at an advanced stage of production—such as a broadcast quality pilot episode

C Drama (on completed program)

C Drama (at pre-production stage)

For completed drama programs

For programs at the pre-production stage—at least second draft scripts

What type of program?

For all types of programs targeting a preschool audience, drama and non-drama

For all types of programs targeting children under 14 years (other than preschool children), drama and nondrama

For all types of programs targeting preschool children, usually used for game shows, magazine and variety programs

For all types of programs targeting children under 14 (other than preschool children), usually used for game shows, magazine and variety programs

For drama programs targeting children under 14 (other than preschool children)

For drama programs targeting children under 14 (other than preschool children)

Is this a final classification?

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Different categories of classification are subject to different application requirements. More detailed information about the application requirements is on page 17.