HOW THE RATING SYSTEM IS USED BY THEATER OWNERS AND VIDEO RETAILERS

Motion picture theater owners, who co-founded the rating system in 1968, were the first group in the entertainment industry to voluntarily enforce its guidelines. NATO estimates that the majority of the theater owners in the nation observe the rating system. In the mid 1980s as home video grew in popularity, video retailers joined theater owners in embracing the voluntary guidelines of the rating system. Parents who relied on the rating system found that the information provided by the rating classifications were equally helpful in home video. To facilitate its use, ratings are displayed on both the entire home entertainment package and the videocassettes and DVDs themselves.

The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA), which is the major trade association for video retailers in the United States, has adopted a policy which strongly endorses the observance of the voluntary movie rating system by video retailers.