Public service broadcasters are leading the way when it comes to access provision through On Demand services.
According to a new study by The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), which regulates UK VOD content on behalf of Ofcom, Subtitled programmes for those with impaired hearing are now being provided on at least 18 UK VOD services.
Significant increases in provision are reported on services provided by public service broadcasters. Channel 5, ITV and Scotland’s STV all now provide subtitles for more than 70% of the on demand programming available through their websites.
Commercial VOD services including cinema chain Curzon and Viasat, which holds a UK licence for its Viaplay service, are also among the best.
However, ATVOD says audio description lags far behind the provision of programmes with subtitles, with only three services providing any audio described programmes.
“We welcome the continued improvement in the scale and breadth of subtitle provision on UK VOD services,” commented ATVOD chair Ruth Evans. “We encourage ITV and Channel 4 to follow Channel 5’s lead in spreading provision across outlets, from own brand websites to mobile and other platforms. We also welcome the work of commercial VOD services who have provided access services in the last year, and want to see other commercial providers to put into action plans for provision as soon as possible.”
