Channel 4 subtitles: Online backlog to be cleared by ‘second week of December’

Posted on November 27, 2021 by


A metal number '4' structure outside the offices of Channel 4 in London.

The backlog of programmes requiring subtitles on Channel 4’s streaming service All4 will be cleared ‘by the second week of December’, the broadcaster has confirmed.

The news comes just over two months after the triggering of fire suppression systems at access provider Red Bee Media, which led to weeks of inaccessible content on live TV and catch-up.

Over 500 complaints about the issue were made to Ofcom, who said the situation was “unacceptable” – a view shared by The National Deaf Children’s Society in a letter last month, in which they called for the communications watchdog to take regulatory action.

Channel 4 said in a statement on 19 October that “full access services might not be available until  the middle of November”.

Three days later, the channel announced that it had restored subtitles on its main channels for Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview, as well as online services such as All4.

“To start with, shows that will carry subtitles will include the Great British Bake Off, The Last Leg and Gogglebox as well as live television including Channel 4 News and this weekend, F1 racing.

“Channel 4 will continue to work on delivering programmes affected by the original incident (from Saturday 25 September 2021) with subtitles, audio description and sign language support as soon as possible on-demand on Channel4.com and All4,” they said.

Channel 4 has since confirmed to The Limping Chicken that they have also restored sign language and audio description services for the usual, specific programmes, and are “currently working through the backlog”.

This website understands that subtitling issues on Channel 4’s broadcasting services were “resolved” last week. However, we have also come across complaints since then where Deaf viewers continue to complain about “no subtitles”.

https://twitter.com/StuDeafEars/status/1463147607593730048?s=20

When The Limping Chicken shared several tweets with Ofcom, asking if regulatory action would be taken, a spokesperson said: “We remain deeply concerned about the scale of the technical failures experienced by Channel 4 and the length of time taken to fix them.

“We are considering what regulatory action may be required to ensure broadcasters do not find themselves in this situation again in the future.

“We understand that outstanding backlog issues on All4 are expected to be resolved by next week.”

News of Channel 4 planing to fix the issue “by next week” comes amid concerns that TV episodes which still lack subtitles may soon disappear from the online service.

On Twitter, several individuals have called on the broadcaster to subtitle Series 5, episode 1 of legal drama The Good Fight before it “drops off” the streaming service on Saturday.

 

The Limping Chicken approached Channel 4 for comment on how many programmes without subtitles would be taken off the platform before they were made accessible to Deaf viewers.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: “Channel 4 will have cleared the backlog of programmes requiring subtitles by the second week of December.

“In terms of programmes on All4, the vast majority of those affected by the incident will remain available on All4 for at least a year, however certain acquired programmes may not be available for as long due to the negotiated rights.”

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

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Posted in: deaf news