Television censorship is the censorship of television content, either through the excising of certain frames or scenes, or outright banning of televisions in their entirety. Television censorship typically occurs as a result of political or moral objections to a television's content; controversial content subject to censorship include the depiction of graphic violence, sexual situations, or racial themes. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time.
A Television content rating system is designated to classify television with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of obscene content. A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate.
The Chinese government has repeatedly censored anime shows that the country considers immoral, especially those that include bloody and violent scenes. Blood-C, a Japanese anime television series, has been banned since it includes a "particularly bloody" scene which may cause "extreme discomfort". In 2021, China announced to ban violent, vulgar, and bloody children's TV shows. A statement released by the National Radio and Television Administration said that "the content of broadcasts should be healthy and progressive and should promote truth, good, and beauty in cartoons".
The battle part of first episode of the eighth season of Game of Thrones is cut in China.
For nearly the entire history of television production, certain televisions have been banned by television censorship or review organizations for political or moral reasons or for controversial content, such as racism, copyright violation, and underage immorality. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time due to political or moral change.
Many countries have government-appointed or private commissions to censor and rate productions for film and television exhibition. While it is common for television (including episodes) to be edited to fall into certain rating classifications, this list includes only television that have been explicitly prohibited from public screening. In some countries, television are banned on a wide scale; these are not listed in this table.