Canadian Program
Certification |
Television Program Categories
Category 1 News
Newscasts, newsbreaks, and headlines. Programs reporting on local,
regional, national, and international events. Such programs may include
weather reports, sportscasts, community news, and other related features
or segments contained within "News Programs."
Category 2a) Analysis and Interpretation
Programs on various topics that include analysis or discussion, for
example, talk or panel shows, consumer affairs or reviews, newsmagazines
and documentaries that do not fall under category 2b). This category
excludes programs presenting information primarily for entertainment
value.
The Commission notes that "Docutainment" programs, gossip or
entertainment talk shows fall more appropriately under category 11.
Lifestyle magazine shows generally fall under category 5b.
Category 2 b) Long-form documentary
Original works of non-fiction, primarily designed to inform but may
also educate and entertain, providing an in-depth critical analysis of a
specific subject or point of view over the course of at least 30 minutes
(less a reasonable time for commercials, if any). These programs shall not
be used as commercial vehicles.
Category 3 Reporting & Actualities
Programs focusing on the coverage of conferences, political
conventions, opening/closing of events (including awards dinners) and
political debates, as well as programs of a non-entertainment nature
intended to raise funds.
Category 4 Religion
Programs dealing with religion and religious teachings, as well as
discussions of the human spiritual condition.
Category 5a) Formal Education & Pre-school
Programs presenting detailed information related to a wide variety of
topics and used by the viewer primarily to acquire knowledge. The programs
can be related to established curricula. All programs targeted at
pre-schoolers (ages 2-5) except those that are primarily comprised of
drama.
Category 5b) Informal Education/Recreation & Leisure
Programs presenting information on recreation, hobby and skill
development, recreational sports and outdoor activities, travel and
leisure, employment opportunities, and talk shows of an informative
("how-to") nature.
Category 6 Sports
Programs of live or live-to-tape sports events and competitions
including coverage of professional and amateur tournaments. The category
also includes programs reviewing and analysing professional or amateur
competitive sports events/teams (i.e. pre- and post-game shows,
magazine shows, scripted sports, call-in and talk shows, etc.). This
category includes the following sub-categories:
Category 6(a) Professional sports
Category 6(b) Amateur sports
Documentaries on sports-related topics fall under category 2.
Programs on leisure and recreational sports fall under category 5b).
Music and Entertainment
Category 7 Drama and Comedy
Entertainment productions of a fictional nature, including
dramatisations of real events. They must be comprised primarily of (i.e.
more than 50%) dramatic performances. Category 7 includes the
following subcategories:
a) On-going dramatic series
b) On-going comedy series (sitcoms);
c) Specials, mini-series, and made-for-TV feature films;
d) Theatrical feature films aired on television;
e) Animated television programs and films (excludes computer graphic
productions without story lines);
f) Programs of comedy sketches, improvisations, unscripted works,
stand-up comedy; and
g) Other drama, including, but not limited to, readings, narratives,
improvisations, tapes/films of live theatre not developed specifically for
television, experimental shorts, video clips, continuous action animation
(e.g. puppet shows).
Category 8a) Music and dance
Programs comprised primarily (i.e. more than 50%) of live or
pre-recorded performances of music and/or dance, including opera,
operetta, ballet, and musicals. The performance portion excludes
videoclips, voice-overs or musical performances used as background.
Category 8b) Music video clips
Short film or videotape productions or concert excerpts (clips) not
produced primarily for the particular program in which they are presented,
which normally contain one musical selection with visual material.
Category 8c) Music video programs
Programs consisting primarily (i.e. more than 50%) of music videos
and in some cases including a host and other programming elements.
Category 9 Variety
Programs containing primarily (i.e. more than 50%) performances of
mixed character (e.g. not exclusively music or comedy performances)
consisting of a number of individual acts such as singing, dancing,
acrobatic exhibitions, comedy sketches, monologues, magic, etc.
Category 10 Game shows
Programs featuring games of skill and chance as well as quizzes.
Category 11 General entertainment and human interest
Programs primarily about the world of entertainment and its people.
These programs include celebrity profiles that may use promotional
footage, talk or interview shows, award shows, galas and tributes. They
also include entertainment-oriented magazine shows; fund-raising shows
which include entertainers (i.e. telethons); reality TV, including
programs of live or live-to-tape footage without significant portions
devoted to in-depth analysis or interpretation; and coverage of community
events such as carnivals, festivals, parades and fashion shows.
Programs consisting primarily (i.e. more than 50%) of performances
fall under categories 7, 8 or 9.
Other
Category 12 Interstitials
Programs with a running time of less than 5 minutes, exclusive of
advertising and other interstitial material, consisting of material that
can be described under categories 2 to 11.
Category 13 Public service announcements
Messages of less than 5 minutes duration intended to educate the
audience about issues of public concern, encourage public support and
awareness of a worthy cause, or promote the work of a non-profit group or
organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in local
communities or in society or the world at large. These include community
billboards. These messages are not intended to sell or promote goods or
commercial services. No payment is exchanged between broadcasters and
producers for the broadcast of these messages.
When public service announcements are logged, the start and end times
must be entered, the program class must be "PSA" and two
components of the key figure must be recorded: "Origin" and
"Category" (130). No other components should be entered.
Category 14 Infomercials, promotional and corporate videos
Programming exceeding 12 minutes in length that combines information
and/or entertainment with the sale or promotion of goods or services into
a virtually indistinguishable whole. This category includes videos and
films of any length produced by individuals, groups and businesses for
public relations, recruitment, etc.
When this material is logged, the start and end times must be entered,
the program class must be "PGI", and the category 140. No other
components of the key figure should be entered.
Category 15 Filler programming
Programming, in no case longer than 30 minutes in duration, the purpose
of which is to fill in the time between the presentation of the major
programs broadcast by the licensed pay services and those specialty
services authorized to distribute filler programming, and includes
material that promotes the programs or services provided by the licensee.
Date Modified: 2002-03-25
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