Almost 4 in 5 UK viewers now use subtitles at least sometimes, according to new research from XR Extreme Reach.
The study, published to mark World Accessibility Day, found 79% of UK viewers use subtitles, rising to 59% of 18-24-year-olds who use them always or often.
XR Extreme Reach said the findings show subtitles have moved beyond accessibility and become mainstream viewing behaviour across streaming, social video and broadcast content.
The UK was the market most likely to say subtitles help viewers catch details they would otherwise miss, at 40%. It also had the highest rate of subtitle use linked to accents or dialects, at 39%.
Kids and family programming and movies were among the most-subtitled content types.
Bobi Carley, director at ISBA, said accessibility can no longer sit separately from advertising effectiveness if audiences increasingly watch with subtitles enabled.
The report found subtitles also affect advertising engagement, with 34% of UK viewers saying subtitles make them pay more attention to ads. Among 18-24-year-olds, the figure rises to 49%.
Noreen Connolly, managing director at XR Extreme Reach, said subtitling advertising was now “a mainstream audience strategy” delivering value for viewers with and without hearing loss.
