November 5, 2018

Ofcom has published a report on the accessibility of broadcast and on-demand services. It sets out the proportion of these services with subtitles, audio description or signing for people with visual and/or hearing impairments.

The report, which covers the first six months of 2018, includes data on both broadcast and on demand accessibility. The information is published in an interactive format to make it easier for people to compare accessibility across different television services.

The report shows that most channels broadcasting in the UK continue to comfortably meet their accessibility requirements. Certain channels that underperformed in 2017 are now on course to exceed their requirements by the end of this year.

Among on-demand services, which include public service broadcasters’ catch-up services, more than just over half (52%) of providers now offer subtitled content. The proportion of on-demand providers offering audio-described programmes increased slightly to 13, although the amount of signed content remains static at 8%. Some 45% of on-demand providers do not offer any access services.

There is currently no legal requirement on providers of on-demand programming services to make their content accessible to people with hearing and/or visual impairments. This differs from broadcast television services, where broadcasters must achieve specific accessibility targets.

The Digital Economy Act 2017, however, paved the way for on demand accessibility requirements. Following its consultation in this area (which closed in April 2018), Ofcom will soon be publishing recommendations to inform the Government’s drafting of new Regulations in this area. To read Ofcom’s update in full, click here.