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27|09|06

Ofcom publishes outcome of TV access services review

Ofcom today publishes the outcome of its review of the television access services Code. At the same time, new guidelines for broadcasters are being published on how these services should be provided.

Television access services (subtitling, signing and audio description) help people who cannot hear or see, or have difficulty with hearing or seeing, to enjoy television.

Ofcom conducted a full consultation, published in April, and has reviewed all responses carefully. The main conclusions are:

• The existing Code should remain broadly unchanged. In particular, the present method for selecting which channels provide access services should remain. Ofcom has sought to provide greater clarity about levels of access services which should be provided by channels that share majority ownership.
• Awareness of audio description amongst potential users should be increased, and broadcasters should help by increasing publicity. Ofcom expects to review awareness and usage in time to make a recommendation to Government before the current statutory targets are due to be reached in 2009.
• The current arrangements for providing signing on television provide few benefits to sign language users. Ofcom expects to consult on possible alternative arrangements towards the end of this year.

The statement on television access services review, including the revised Code and new guidelines, can be found in the Related Items.

Ends.

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