Over 25,000 people call for more accessible video on-demand services

Deaf campaigners were among those who handed in a petition to government on Tuesday demanding improved accessibility for video on-demand services.

Sensory loss charities the Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) and Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) delivered the petition – signed by 25,767 people – to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

It calls on the UK Government to implement Clause 93 of the Digital Economy Act 2017, which introduces legal targets for British Sign Language (BSL), subtitles and audio description for broadcasters providing catch-up services.

In July last year, the broadcasting regulator Ofcom issued its final recommendations to the government on the clause, proposing targets of 80% for subtitling and 5% for BSL interpretation four years after the clause takes effect.

This would coincide with the current requirement for major broadcasters to provide subtitles for up to 90% of programmes on linear TV – a quota which Channel 4 failed to meet for Freesat viewers last year due to a subtitles outage.

However, the UK Government is yet to introduce the statutory instrument which would enforce such targets.

Charlotte Hyde, a moderately Deaf advocate, said of the Subtitle It! campaign: “When subtitles aren’t readily available, it makes me anxious. I shouldn’t have to feel this – things should just be there and ready.

“If you can broadcast a TV show live with subtitles, why can’t it be on-demand? It’s upsetting and frustrating that this continues to happen.

“If subtitles were readily available on-demand, that would mean I could finally sit down and enjoy things with my family and I’m not having to move my schedule around to be able to watch something. I would be able to enjoy entertainment on the same level as my hearing peers.”

The delivery of the petition came just days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, with the outgoing Conservative Party leader reportedly telling his cabinet he “will not seek to implement new policies” before his successor is selected.

Though RNID argue the implementation of Clause 93 relates to legislation from 2017, rather than a new policy decision, and there is no reason for the government to delay on the issue any longer.

A huge thank you to our amazing ambassador @samanthabaines for joining us today to hand in the #SubtitleIt petition! 💚

Watch her video here! pic.twitter.com/Zvej8eXM9w

— RNID (@RNID) July 12, 2022

Teri Devine, Associate Director for Inclusion at the charity, said: “It’s shocking that more than five years after the Digital Economy Act passed, no action has been taken to improve accessibility for deaf people and people with hearing loss watching TV on demand.

“Subtitles enable people to be fully included, whether that’s watching a favourite programme with friends or family or catching up on popular shows in the workplace.

“Deaf people and people with hearing loss are sick of feeling left behind, and we urge the Government to put the Digital Economy Act regulations into action, and start the clock on subtitling, signing, and audio description quotas for TV on-demand.”

Sonali Rai of RNIB added: “It’s taken far too long for changes to be implemented. Blind and partially sighted users of these platforms have been kept in the dark when it comes to being able to access the same content as their sighted peers, when simple measures can be put in place to ensure these services are accessible for all.

“We look forward to working with the Government on the next steps in making streaming services inclusive.”

The Limping Chicken has approached DCMS for comment.

Photo: RNID.

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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Update – 15/07/22: In a statement, a DCMS spokesperson said: “We are committed to making sure everyone can enjoy TV content no matter which platform they watch it on. Following the second detailed report by Ofcom last summer, the government is working with the regulator to develop legislative proposals that will improve video-on-demand accessibility.”