So you’ve launched a streaming service in New Zealand?

Requirement to label commercial video on-demand content

All commercial streaming providers operating in New Zealand must show classification information for content that has been classified as restricted in New Zealand. And we strongly encourage streaming providers to show classification information for all content that has been rated in New Zealand, whether it is restricted (eg, RP, R13, R16, or R18) or unrestricted (eg, G, PG, or M).

Under New Zealand law, major commercial streaming providers operating in New Zealand, including Amazon’s Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Microsoft Movies & TV, Netflix, Neon, Crunchyroll (a Sony subsidiary), and YouTube Movies & TV must display classification information for content on their services and platforms. This list is available online.

Streaming providers included on this list must pay an annual levy to Te Mana Whakaatu—Classification Office. This levy funds the costs of Te Mana Whakaatu's activities in support of its role with commercial video on-demand content.

If you are not included on this list, be aware that you are not exempt from showing classification information for any restricted content (eg, RP, R13, R16, or R18) you make available on your streaming service in New Zealand.

Currently, streaming providers operating free-to-access services or platforms do not need to display classification information for content made available in New Zealand.

Where to find existing ratings and classifications

If a New Zealand rating or classification already exists for the content, then it must be displayed.

To find existing ratings and classifications, search Find a Rating.
You can also search the Film and Video Labelling Body’s database, which contains film classifications and descriptive notes from 1994 to today.
We can provide an extract (.csv file format) from our database of all existing New Zealand ratings and classifications. To request an extract, please contact streaming@classificationoffice.govt.nz.

Objectionable content

If content has been banned in New Zealand, streaming providers are not allowed to make it available for New Zealand audiences. Content that has been classified as objectionable is listed in the NZ Register of Classification Decisions.

Content without an existing rating or classification

If you have content on your service or platform that does not have an existing rating or classification, you can submit it to the Film and Video Labelling Body (FVLB) for issue of a label. Fees apply. More information about this process is available on our website and on the FVLB’s website.

Streaming providers included on this list can apply to self-rate content.

Self-rating

Streaming providers included on this list can apply for the Chief Censor’s approval of a system to “self-rate” content that does not already have an existing rating or classification in New Zealand.

The Minister of Internal Affairs and the Governor-General of New Zealand decide which providers are added to, or removed from, this list. They are supported by the Department of Internal Affairs throughout this process. The Minister must consult with the Chief Censor each time they want to update the list. To request being added to the list (“Schedule 4”), providers must write to the Minister and the Department of Internal Affairs.

Te Mana Whakaatu supports providers during the process to become approved for self-rating. After they are approved, we regularly assess providers’ self-ratings and undertake annual reviews to monitor their ability to self-rate content appropriately.

If you have questions about self-rating, please contact streaming@classificationoffice.govt.nz.

Display requirements on service

There are several different labels (including age rating symbols and content warnings) that streaming providers must display on their services and platforms. The labels for self-rated content are slightly different to the labels for classifications and ratings from FVLB. You can read more about the different labels.

The Department of Internal Affairs’ Digital Safety Team enforces the law that applies to streaming providers. You can read more about display requirements for streaming providers on their website and in the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Regulations 1994.

Livestreams

As the way New Zealanders access entertainment continues to change, several streaming providers are choosing to livestream content on their services/platforms.

Livestreams are not publications under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 and therefore do not need to be labelled under the CVoD regime.

If, after a livestream has ended, a copy/recording of that livestream is made available to stream on-service, that copy/recording is a publication and therefore must be labelled under the CVoD regime.

Some streaming providers opt to label livestreams with predictive ratings that indicate the types or strength of content expected to occur during the livestream. Some streaming providers also have mitigation options ready to go, such as a kill-switch or alternate camera(s) to cut to, if any unanticipated or controversial events occur during the livestream. Te Mana Whakaatu encourages streaming providers to use predictive ratings and mitigation options, as they prepare viewers for the livestream they are about to watch and protect them if something goes wrong.

For streaming providers who do not operate an approved self-rating system in Aotearoa New Zealand, there are conditions around how labels can be displayed for content that has not been officially labelled under the CVoD regime. We encourage you to contact us for more information if you intend to label livestreams with predictive ratings on your streaming service/platform.