This report sets out the extent to which broadcast television channels and on-demand programme services (ODPS) carried subtitles, audio description and/or signing (collectively, “access services”) between January and December 2024.
The statutory rules for broadcast services are different to those for on-demand services. Under the Communications Act 2003, broadcast television channels are required to make a certain proportion of their programmes accessible. The Code on Television Access Services sets out these obligations.
On-demand (including catch-up) services are not yet under any statutory obligation to provide access services. However, the Media Act 2024 introduced new accessibility requirements on certain video-on-demand (‘VoD’) services, including to provide access services on a certain proportion of their programming. We are working to implement these new rules as quickly as possible and in the meantime have, as in previous years, asked ODPS providers to share with us their access services data on a voluntary basis. Further information on our approach to implementing the requirements set out in the Media Act 2024 can be found on Ofcom’s website.
Targets for broadcast television channels
Broadcasters are required to meet targets for the different access services they carry on their channels – these targets are calculated based on affordability and the length of time the channel has been obliged to provide access services. Further information on how these quotas are calculated is set out in Ofcom’s Code on Television Access Services.
The annual quotas for broadcast channels are shown as a percentage of hours required to be provided with each access service. For ease of reference, Ofcom reports a single figure for provision of access services for each channel. However, the quotas apply on each delivery platform where a service is regulated.
Channels with an audience share of between 0.05% and 1% have the option either to broadcast a certain amount of sign-presented programming each month or to participate in Ofcom-approved alternative arrangements which contribute to the availability of sign-presented programming.
Where "Lumo TV Contribution" is shown in the report, this indicates that the broadcaster contributed to Lumo TV (formerly BSLBT), which commissions sign-presented programming and is broadcast on the channels Film4 and Together.
Where “Exempt” is marked in the report, this indicates that these channels are exempt from providing audio description due to technical difficulties that would make it impracticable to do so. This is because the nature of the content broadcast on these services (e.g. news programmes) means there is little space within the audio material to provide audio description.
Provision across 2024
In 2024, all channels met or exceeded their requirements to provide access services. Ofcom is pleased to see broadcasters continuing to improve the accessibility of their content beyond the simple quantity of access services being provided. In particular, 2024 saw a greater range of content provided with live audio description, including Strictly Come Dancing, coverage of the Paralympic and Olympic Games, and coverage of the Six Nations Rugby.
Following under provision in 2023, DMAX provided audio description on 21% of its programming across 2024, in excess of the 15% committed to by Discovery Corporate Services Limited.
Ofcom regulates a wide range of ODPS, including public service broadcasters’ catch-up services and subscription film services. As outlined above, ODPS are not currently under any statutory obligation to provide access services, although Ofcom is working to implement requirements introduced by the Media Act 2024. As in previous years, we asked ODPS providers to submit data voluntarily on the extent to which they make their services accessible to people with sight and/or hearing impairments. The number of providers responding – and which providers respond – can vary, which means that any trends we identify here are indicative only.
In 2024, the proportion of providers responding to this request who offered subtitles continued to rise (94.7% up from 89.1% in 2023), as did the proportion of providers offering audio description (34.2% up from 32.1% in 2023). However, the provision of signing decreased to 21.1% of those responding (compared with 22.6% in 2023).
Where providers did offer a particular access service, we looked at the proportion of content which was subtitled/audio described/signed. Looking only at the services where access services were offered, 2024 saw some decreases in the proportion of content carrying subtitles (69.1% of programme hours down from 83.3%) and audio description (11.5% down from 25.8%). However, this is due to the inclusion this year, for the first time, of data from the Hotstar service which has a very large catalogue offering some subtitles and audio description, and disproportionately affects the figures. If Hotstar is excluded from the analysis, there was an increase in the proportion of content carrying subtitles (up to 87.1%) and a much smaller decrease in audio description levels (to 21.1%). For services that offered signing (which Hotstar does not) the percentage of programme hours with signing increased from 1.9% in 2023 to 3.4% in 2024. We have excluded Amazon from the analysis in this paragraph (in both the 2023 figures from last year and 2024 figures) as its data is currently presented in a different form to that of other providers (Amazon does not provide accessibility data specific to different platforms – see the interactive report for more detail).
Alongside our information request, we asked providers to identify barriers to increased provision of access services. Like previous years, costs associated with providing access services continue to be the most common barrier highlighted by respondents. Cost-related challenges manifest in various ways, including technical and logistical constraints. For example, many providers pointed out that third-party content suppliers often fail to include access service files when selling content. This means ODPS providers have to create these services from scratch, even though they might already exist, adding to their costs and leading to a duplication of work.
Moreover, providers have consistently highlighted a lack of standardised solutions for enabling access services on third-party platforms (e.g. set-top boxes, smart TVs, games consoles, etc.). This can often lead to additional and more complex technical development costs for ODPS providers. Other providers also mentioned ongoing issues with certain legacy platforms not supporting certain access service files.
Nevertheless, the figures from 2024 continue to suggest that providers are increasing the range of platforms via which they can offer access services. The proportion of responding ODPS providers carrying subtitles on given types of platform now ranges from 100% on game consoles to 92.6% on connected TVs and 96.2% on mobile apps.
Ofcom is currently facilitating industry-wide discussion around sharing best practice and the potential for standardising processes and technical solutions, via a working group of both ODPS providers and platforms. In our accessibility best practice guidelines, which we updated and expanded in April 2024, we recommend that providers and content suppliers include access service files as part of acquiring or selling content to discourage access service file duplication costs.
Finally, we asked providers on a confidential basis about any accessibility action plans they currently have in place. We encourage providers to develop such plans with a view to continually and progressively making their services more accessible to disabled people – we would like to see accessibility considerations embedded into broader product development strategies and plans. Providers have a statutory duty to give Ofcom a copy of any such plans.
Interactive report
We have provided this report in an interactive format so that you can compare the accessibility of broadcast and on-demand services across a variety of platforms.
For the best experience, expand to full screen (click on the button in the bottom right corner).
The full data set is also available to download in CSV format.
If you have accessibility requirements which are not met by these publications, and would like to request this information in a different format, you can email accessibility@ofcom.org.uk or call our Advisory Team from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:00 on 020 7981 3040 or 0300 123 3333. If you are deaf or speech-impaired, you can use our textphone numbers, which are 020 7981 3043 or 0300 123 2024.