Video PBE is a premium service where customers can pre-book a viewing slot for a work and receive a category decision at an agreed time, subject to the stated limitations and conditions.

Video PBE attracts a slightly higher fee than standard submissions. See ‘Fees’ section for further information.

There are no limits on the number of works an individual company can submit under the Video PBE service in any week or month, but the BBFC reserves the right to introduce such limits without notice.

 

How to submit your work for Video PBE:

1) Advice prior to booking – Video PBE is designed solely for video material that is uncontroversial in nature and straightforward to classify within a short time frame.

There is no limit on runtime or number of elements. However, you should bear in mind that particularly complex works, such as those with many elements or interactive features, are only acceptable for Video PBE if media items are delivered in enough time for us to measure the work before viewing.

Video PBE is suitable only for a submission which:

• would normally be suitable for classification,
• is not likely to be controversial and which does not raise novel or difficult classification or legal issues,
• is not likely to have a significant impact on the public perception of the BBFC or the standards it applies.

More information on suitability is provided in the Appendix at the end of this document.

N.B. Bookings for non-English language works are subject to the availability of suitable interpreters.

If you have any queries prior to booking, please contact the customer helpline on helpline@bbfc.co.uk or 020 7440 0299.

2) Booking – Bookings must be made online using the PBE option within the relevant submission forms on the BBFC Extranet. Bookings can be made for any future date provided at least two working days’ notice is given between booking and the viewing slot itself.

Bookings are subject to availability and are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. You must select either an AM or a PM session. Each of these sessions lasts a maximum of 180 minutes so if the runtime exceeds 180 minutes, the submission will span multiple sessions accordingly.

Please note that, in order for the booking process to be successful, you must provide the name and telephone number of a dedicated contact at your company who is dealing with the submission.

Once a booking has been made, an email will be sent to you confirming the booking details and the date by which you must send media items to us.

You may cancel bookings without charge up to 48 hours prior to the deadline for delivery of media items. See section 4 for deadline details.

You may substitute a work provided notification is given at least 24 hours prior to the deadline for delivery of media items and the new running time does not exceed the original booked time.

You may move a work to a different Video PBE session but note that a ‘late change’ penalty fee will be charged if less than 24 hours’ notice is provided prior to the original deadline for delivery of media items.

3) Labelling your submission – When your booking is confirmed you will be given a ‘media item number’. This must be written on the disc so we are able to identify it. Any package containing media items should be clearly marked ‘Video PBE service’.

4) Deadline for delivery of media items to the BBFC:

• For bookings starting in an AM session: 2pm the working day before that session (or 4pm for works of 5 minutes or less).
• For bookings starting in a PM session: 9am on the day of that session (or 11am for works of 5 minutes or less).

If media items are not received by these deadlines, the Video PBE slot will be forfeited and a ‘missed deadline’ penalty fee will be charged.

 

Fees:

The running time you supply us with at the booking stage will be rounded up to the nearest 15 minutes (or to 5 minutes for works with a running time of less than 5 minutes). This rounded up running time is referred to as the ‘booked time’. The fee will be based on the booked time, at a rate of standard tariff + 10%.

Please note that the +10% will still be charged if a work is deemed unacceptable for Video PBE during its examination, even though all deadlines for delivering a category decision become null and void.

Deadlines for receiving fees:

• For bookings starting in an AM session: 2pm the working day before that session.
• For bookings starting in a PM session: 9am on the day of that session.

If fees are not received by these deadlines, the Video PBE slot will be forfeited.

In addition:

• If you cancel a booking with less than 48 hours’ notice prior to the deadline for delivery of media items, a withdrawal fee of £100 + VAT will be charged.
• If you decide to move a work to a later Video PBE session but provide us with less than 24 hours’ notice prior to the deadline for delivery of media items, a ‘late change’ penalty fee of £100 + VAT will be charged.
• If either the fee or media items are not received before their respective deadlines, a ‘missed deadline’ penalty fee of £100 + VAT will be charged.

 

Measurement of media item(s):

If a technical problem is encountered during measurement then we will notify you in order to provide the opportunity for you to send a rectified version to ourselves prior to the deadline for delivery of media items. If you are unable to resubmit by this time, subject to availability you will be allowed to reschedule the Video PBE slot in order to allow enough time to overcome the technical problem, without incurring a penalty charge. You must, however, notify the BBFC Technical Department of your intention before the deadline for delivery of media or else the work will be deemed a late delivery and you will incur a ‘missed deadline’ penalty fee.

In addition, the length of the work as measured by Technical must not exceed the length of the Video PBE slot you have booked, otherwise we may not be able to process the work as a Video PBE submission.

In order to limit the chances of us encountering a technical problem, please note our submission criteria.

 

Obtaining your category decision:

As long as the work is not deemed unsuitable for the Video PBE service during examination, the category, Consumer Advice and Registration Number will be available to view on the Extranet according to the following deadlines:

• For works being examined in an AM session: 2pm the same day.
• For works in a PM session: 6pm the same day.
• For works whose running time requires them to be examined across more than one viewing slot, the decision will be delivered at the deadline relevant to the last viewing slot in question.

Please note that if, during examination, the work is deemed unsuitable for the Video PBE service due to its content, the work will transfer into the standard submission process and all deadlines for delivering a category decision will become null and void.

Also note that the title of the work for classification purposes will be the title that appears on screen. If this differs from the submitted title, a ‘title problems’ letter will NOT be issued

 

Additional Notes:

The Video PBE service is only available during normal working hours (09:00-18:00 Monday-Friday). It is not available at weekends or on bank holidays, and may be withdrawn at any time.

By submitting a work for classification using this service, you accept that the BBFC is not liable for any losses caused by any failure to meet the stated deadlines.

 

Appendix:

Works that are unacceptable for Video PBE are as follows:

• Identical, re-edited, extended or abridged versions of a video or theatrical work which has been cut or rejected.
• Works whose classification, in the opinion of the BBFC, is likely to have a significant impact on the public perception of the BBFC or the standards it applies. This is likely to include, but is not limited to, works dealing with controversial themes such as paedophilia or racism, or which have already attracted public or media concern about their classification or effects.

Works that are likely to be unacceptable for Video PBE are as follows:

• Sex works.
• Sex education works.
• Works containing explicit images of real sexual activity.
• Works containing sexual or sadistic threat.
• Works containing sexual or sadistic violence.
• Works containing images of a child actor or child character (whether live action or not) under 18 who is nude, partially nude, engaged in sexual posing or sexual activity, or who appears in close proximity to adults who are engaged in sexual posing or sexual activity.
• Works containing scenes in which vertebrate animals appear to suffer, or to be placed at risk of suffering, real pain, injury or harm, or to have been goaded to anger in any way, and which have not been supervised by the RSPCA or the American Humane Association or similar.
• Works containing real criminal activity.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.