The General Directorate of Radio, Television and Cinematography (in Spanish, Dirección General de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía), created in 1977, is the issuer of ratings for motion pictures, TV programs, and video games released in Mexico. The RTC is an agency of the Department of State (Secretaría de Gobernación). It has its own classification system, as follows:
The following four classifications are unrestricted:
- AA: Particularly suitable for young children under 7. It should contain no content that parents find objectionable to young children. It can be broadcast any time. Not applicable to video games (the A rating is given to video games directed to preschoolers).
- It is equivalent to soft G on film and soft TV-Y on television.
- Examples: Most of the 2000s-2010s Pixar movies, Nick Jr. shows
- A: Suitable for all ages. May be broadcast at any time. Unlike AA, it does not necessarily denote film or television directed to young children.
- It is equivalent to hard G/soft PG on film, hard TV-Y/TV-G/TV-Y7(-FV)/soft TV-PG on television, and E for video games (green icon).
- Examples: Most Mario games, most Cartoon Network shows, Inside Out 2
- There are some exceptions to this equivalent rule: The Amazing Spider-Man and, most recently, Red One (Codigo Traje Rojo in Mexico) - both are rated PG-13 in the US
- B: Recommended for persons aged 12 and older. Can broadcast on TV or radio from 4:00 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.
- It is equivalent to hard PG/soft PG-13 on film, hard TV-PG/soft TV-14 on television, and E10+ for video games (yellow icon).
- Examples: Many Televisa shows, Minecraft, The Simpsons Movie
- There are some exceptions to this equivalent rule: The Matrix movies - rated R in the US (even the most recent one, The Matrix Resurrections)
- B15: Recommended for persons aged 15 and older. Can broadcast on TV or radio from 7:00 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.
- It is equivalent to hard PG-13/soft R on film, hard TV-14 on television, and T for video games (yellow icon).
- Examples: Deadpool 1 and 2, The Simpsons Game, Stranger Things
- There are some exceptions to this equivalent rule: Modern Family - despite being rated mostly TV-PG, in Mexico it's rated B15
The following two classifications are age-restrictive:
- C: Unsuitable for persons under 18 years. C-rated material is restricted to persons aged 18 and older. However, it is advisory on TV and radio. Can broadcast on TV or Radio from 9:00 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.
- It is equivalent to hard R/soft NC-17 on film, soft TV-MA on television, and M for video games (red icon).
- Examples: Deadpool and Wolverine, GTA V, South Park
- D: A film that has received a D rating is classified as a motion picture of severe impact in terms of sexual content or graphic violence and is restricted to persons aged 18 and older. There are restrictions to screening D-rated films in Mexico and may be broadcast on TV or radio from midnight to 5:00 a.m.
- It is equivalent to hard NC-17 on film, hard TV-MA on television, and AO for video games (red icon).
- Examples: American Psycho (according to IMDb)
Used only in video games:
- P (Etiquetado pendiente): Rating pending, used for games that have not been assigned a rating yet.
- It is equivalent to RP for video games.
New system for video games[]
On November 27, 2020, a new criteria was put into effect requiring that video games released in Mexico will be rated by the RTC (will gradually replace the ESRB rating system) and went into effect on May 27, 2021[1]. The ratings will be the same, with the exception of the AA rating not being included. Content descriptors are borrowed from the ESRB's rating system.
However, Pokémon Snap was accidentally released with the new rating before it was in effect[2]. Even some of the thumbnails on Amazon Mexico's website can be seen with the new ratings.