Amid raging debate in Chile over film censorship, the
country's national TV regulator said it intends to address the issue in its own
legislation.
The National Television Commission (CNTV) has published a
working document addressing pay TV regulation. The document will be updated in
consultation with different sectors of the industry.
Part of that discussion -- aimed at helping to create
legislation -- will address how to regulate the content of cable and satellite programming
that is beamed into Chile.
Although the discussion only recently began, CNTV president
Pilar Armanent has proposed to "apply the law of origin."
In other words, regulators will respect the content rating
of a particular movie or series, regardless of which country originally applied the
rating.
Drawing an analogy, Armanent said, "When you bring a
car into Chile, you do not question all of the conditions" under which it was built.
After all, she added, countries such as Spain, Mexico and
the United States have established ratings systems that are designed to protect minors and
to keep explicit programming off the TV screen.
But they probably do not have an archaic ratings system
like Chile's when it comes to movies.
Part of the reason why the CNTV is pushing to account for
international content ratings is because Chile is outdated as far as rating movies: The
National Cinematic Ratings Council hasn't updated its movie ratings in a long time.
Black-and-white classic Casablanca, for example, is
still considered suitable only for viewers 18 years and older, just as it was back in the
Chile of the 1940s.
U.S. studio trade body the Motion Picture Association and
the Television Association of Programmers Latin America (TAP) are participating in the
discussion with the CNTV.
"We are working with [local operators] and
governmental bodies," TAP president and chief operating officer Mary Pittelli said,
"and so far, we have got a good response about the new draft legislation and ways to
change the ratings process."
