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01|02|08

Six out of ten people don’t know what Audio Description is - do you?

Headline corrected on 1 February 2008

Ofcom announced today the Audio Description Awareness Campaign which, for the next six weeks, will screen promotional trails across more than 70 television channels to explain what Audio Description is and invite viewers to find out more about the service. The campaign is an alliance of broadcasters and the RNIB, facilitated by Ofcom.

Audio Description is an additional narration on TV programmes that describes on-screen action, body language and facial expressions between programme dialogue. Specifically produced for each programme, it allows people who have difficulties seeing the TV to hear what they can’t see.

Ofcom’s 2006 Access Service Review revealed a significant lack of awareness of Audio Description. Fewer than 40% of the general population and 37% of the visually impaired community knew about Audio Description compared with awareness levels of 90% for subtitling and 86% for signing.

Audio Description is available on many popular programmes, including soaps like Coronation Street, Eastenders and Home and Away and dramas such as Ugly Betty and Lost, as well as many factual, comedy and children’s programmes.

The campaign also sees the launch of the Audio Description logo devised by RNIB. This will feature on the TV promotions and a number of manufacturers have agreed to use the logo on the packaging of new digital TV equipment. This will tell consumers whether the product they are buying contains Audio Description enabled equipment. In addition to the on-screen activity, targeted off-screen promotion by RNIB will also reach people with sight problems and their social networks.

Ofcom’s Chief Executive Ed Richards said, “Audio description is a great service which could benefit many people – if only they knew more about it. So we welcome the joint campaign by the broadcasters and RNIB to help improve awareness of this valuable service for blind and partially sighted people”.

The six week campaign ends on 14 March 2008. During this time more information about Audio Description and how to get it can be found at www.audiodescription.org.uk.

Ends.

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