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Content ratings

Vimeo asks that you rate all of your videos and live events to tell viewers if they contain nudity, violence, profanity, or illegal substances, and mark any content that contains advertisements. Content ratings help keep vimeo.com safe and accessible for as many audiences as possible.

If you are a viewer wanting to learn how to filter out mature content from Vimeo search results, see this article. 

In this article: 

Rating types and what the viewer sees

Please note the following content rating types and how they will be displayed on your content. 

  • For videos with a Mature rating, viewers will see a Mature badge next to the video’s title.
  • For videos with an All Audiences rating, viewers will see no badge next to the video’s title.
  • For videos without a rating:
    • Viewers will see no badge next to the video’s title. 
    • You and any team members accessing your video on their team account will see a Not Yet Rated badge. 

Rate your videos

⚠️Note: We strongly encourage that you rate all of your videos, especially videos set to Public. If you don’t rate your public videos, viewers in some countries (specifically in the UK and EU) will need to log into a Vimeo account to watch those videos per local regulations. 

You can rate your videos while you are uploading them or at a later time from the video’s editor by following these steps: 

  1. Click the Privacy lock icon from the top of the menu to the right of your video. Your privacy panel will open to the Sharing tab, where you can update your video’s privacy settings. 
  2. Navigate to the Content tab in the privacy panel. 

    A screenshot showing the Privacy panel. The 'Content' tab is selected. Here, you can select your rating between 'All audiences' or 'Mature'.

  3. Click on the Select rating dropdown and select either All audiences or Mature. If you select Mature, additional selections will appear; be sure to check all that apply. 

    A screenshot showing the 'Content' tab of the privacy panel if a 'Mature' rating is selected. Options for why the video is rated Mature shows below the rating dropdown menu. They include 'Profanity', 'Drug/alcohol use', 'Violence', and 'Nudity'.

  4. If there is sponsored content within your video, check the box next to This video contains an advertisement.
  5. Click the X in the upper right corner to close the panel. Your settings will save automatically. 

💡Tip: You can also get to the Content tab of your privacy panel by clicking on the rating badge below the player.  

⚠️Note: Once you select a rating, you cannot go back to Not yet rated.

Rate your live events

You can rate a live event while you are creating it or after the fact by following these steps: 

  1. Navigate to the video’s live settings page by creating a new video or opening an existing one. 
  2. Click on the Content rating dropdown and select either All audiences or Mature. If you select Mature, additional selections will appear; be sure to check all that apply. 

    A screenshot showing the live settings page. The options on this page include 'Viewing privacy', 'Embed privacy', and 'Content rating'. Each have a dropdown menu to select an option for each. Under 'Cotent rating' you can select 'All audiences' or 'Mature'.

  3. If there is sponsored content within your video, check the box next to This video contains an advertisement.

⚠️Note: While you are not required to rate your live events, keep in mind that if your event is unrated, viewers in certain countries won't be able to access it unless they log into a Vimeo account, even if the event viewing privacy is set to Public.

Rate videos in bulk by setting a default content rating

If all of your videos can be categorized similarly, you can set a default content rating. After applying it you will still be able to change the ratings of individual videos. To set a default content rating for your videos, follow these steps: 

  1. Navigate to the Videos tab of your account settings.
  2. Select Upload defaults.
  3. Under the heading Content rating default select the appropriate rating.
  4. If you want to apply the rating to all of your videos currently on Vimeo, check the box next to Also apply to all existing videos. Otherwise, the default rating will only apply to new videos that you upload. 
  5. Click Save.

Why you should rate your video and events and mark whether they contain advertisements

Vimeo encourages you to rate your content and mark whether it contains advertisements so that viewers can make informed decisions about what to watch and what to filter out. Videos with detailed, accurate ratings are more likely to appear in relevant search results and less likely to receive negative comments or complaints. 

Furthermore, in order to remain compliant with laws and regulations around the world, Vimeo must make sure that children are not able to access mature content posted on Vimeo’s platform or content that contains advertisements. As such, we strongly encourage you to select a content rating for all of your videos, especially Public videos. If you don’t rate your Public videos, viewers in some countries (specifically in the UK and EU) will need to log into a Vimeo account to watch those videos per local regulations. 

⚠️Note: If a Vimeo moderator comes across a misrated video, we may change your rating and lock in the new rating. If we believe that you're intentionally misrating your videos to shock or confuse people, your account may be closed or restricted.

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