By Emma Devine & Jack Shillito

Don’t know about you, but we really enjoy streaming a great film or series. Especially during the past year we’ve had.

But what do you do if you have hearing or sight impairments? Can you enjoy the plethora of quality content out there as much as those without impairments?

We decided to find out. We’ve taken a look at some of the UK’s most popular streaming services and assessed their accessibility for those with both hearing and sight impairments. 

We’ve devised our own grading scheme to award points for each feature on some of our favourite streaming services.

Who will take the crown?

Grading:

Subtitles:

• Availability should be a given nowadays, so are subtitles available on all content? Max. +2 points

• Multiple languages? Max. +2

• Can they be customised? Max. +2

Audio Description:

• Is it available? Max. +2

• Is it easy to find? Max. +2

British Sign Language: 

• Is it available? +1

• Is it easy to find? +1

A total of 12 points is up for grabs.

We’ve also thrown in a bonus point for additional accessibility features from each of the platforms.

In all, we’ve analysed three UK streaming services:

• BBC iPlayer

• ITV Hub

• All 4

And three international streaming services:

• Netflix

• Disney+

• Amazon Prime Video

Without further ado, here’s a handy overview of the results:

A broad range of results there as you can see. Okay, let’s dig into the results and our reasonings in detail…

BBC iPlayer. 8 points

Subtitles are available on all on-demand content and are even being trialled on live TV streams that can be watched through the app. (+2 for subtitles on all content) 

They can be altered; however, the only aspect that can be changed is the size, not the colour or background, which for some people with sight impairments, may mean they are unclear or even unreadable. (+1 for customisation)

BBC iPlayer offers both audio described and signed programmes, which are both found within their own categories. There are a variety of titles in each, ranging from documentaries, dramas, and children’s TV. (+2 points for having AD content. +1 for having signed content)

Under each category, programmes can be sorted by; A-Z, Featured and Most Recent. However, this could make it hard to find a specific programme; you need to hope it’s featured or risk scrolling to find it. For those who use a screen reader, this may be long-winded and monotonous. You can search for programmes and turn on AD or BSL but only if those options are available. (+1 point for searchability)

BBC iPlayer is also optimised to work with the latest versions of a select few screen readers – they are aiming to make iPlayer as accessible as possible and comment that other screen readers may work but they do not test all so may not be able to offer support. (+1 for the additional feature.. and the honesty)

ITV Hub. 4 points

ITV Hub is on the other side of the spectrum when we look at the accessibility of British streaming services. 

Subtitles are available on most content but these cannot be customised or adapted in any way. (+1 for subtitled content)

There is an audio described category, but this is only available through the app on Android and iOS devices, meaning that this is not a feature on Smart TVs. (+1 for available but limited AD)

As for signed titles, these are muddled in among the original transmissions. ITV themselves admit that only a limited number of translated programmes are on ITV Hub, but they are aiming to introduce a signed category by the end of this year (2021). (+1 for having signed content but poor searchability) 

When a signed transmission is found, the sign translator cannot be toggled on or off, a feature that is available on BBC iPlayer. ITV states that this is because the translator is part of the picture so in order to remove them, the original version must be found instead. 

ITV states that if a native screen reader is in use, ITV Hub should default to the Audio Described category, so that’s a plus, especially since they are the only service we looked at that has this feature. (+1)

All 4. 5 points 

Channel 4 has multiple tables on their accessibility page demonstrating how they surpass Ofcom’s requirements for subtitles, audio description and sign language. However, All 4, despite being the UK’s “biggest free streaming service” seems to be a different story…

While Channel 4 subtitled 99.99% of their content in 2020, All 4 does not currently have subtitles on all titles. When navigating the All 4 website, you can filter searches by ‘Audio described’ and ‘subtitled’ and both of these features can be toggled on and off if they are available (+1 for having some subtitles). 

Audio description is available on some of the All 4 content and is clearly marked as such. (+1 for having some AD. +2 for searchability) We also noticed that it appears as if recent broadcasts may not have audio description available until a few days after broadcast. 

Sign-wise, All 4 has none at all (boo!).

All 4 is compatible with a selection of screen readers though and, like iPlayer, they even recommend which ones work best with their platform. (+1)

Now let’s look at some of the streaming giants; Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. With these three dominating the streaming sphere, you would expect that they cater to the largest audience possible by including accessibility features for all. 

One thing we did notice is that none of the subscription services we looked at offer sign language, which is crucial for conveying nuances of speech which subtitles can’t demonstrate. We couldn’t find any information for why this may be, but we cover this further a little later on so keep reading!

Netflix. 10 points

Netflix offers both subtitles and closed captions in five to seven the most relevant languages based on your language settings and location. These can also be customised to make them clearer. You can change the size, font, shadow, and background colour of subtitles, which are available on the majority of their titles. You can even change the size of the in-app fonts to navigate the UI easier. (+2 for subtitles / +2 for having multiple languages / +2 for customisation)

While audio description is not available on all titles, Netflix does have a variety to choose from, including most of their Netflix originals. However, these can only be found under the ‘Audio Described’ category and the titles are not sorted into sub-genres. Some titles offer audio descriptions available in multiple languages.  (+2 for audio description and in multiple languages. +1 for searchability) 

Netflix is also compatible with common screen readers, voice controlled remotes and assistive listening devices. (+1)

Disney+. 5 points

Disney+ is the newest of the streaming services we’ve examined for this list so its accessibility functions are also new. Disney aims to have at least English subtitles on all titles but there are some exceptions – there is no date for when this could be remedied, and the subtitles that are available cannot be altered. (+1 for some subtitles. +1 for having some other languages)

Audio description varies by title and language; and for some titles it may be available in multiple languages such as English, French and Spanish. However, searching audio description brings up no results so you cannot tell if AD is available until clicking through to the title, which isn’t really very helpful. (+2 for audio description and in multiple languages. 0 for searchability) 

Like Netflix, Disney+ supports most screen readers and other input devices which may help users navigate the UI more easily. (+1) The UI cannot be changed but Disney attempts to reassure their subscribers that “Disney+ is designed so text and elements on-screen are easy to see and read for individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment.” 

Amazon Prime Video. 9 points

Amazon Prime Video offers subtitles and alternative audio / audio description on many of their titles, but states that these features may not be supported by all devices. 

Once subtitles are turned on, an option for subtitle settings appears, allowing you to change the size and format of subtitles to make them easier to read. (+2 for subtitles. +2 for being customisable)

Looking at the subtitles and audio description when watching a title, both are available in a wide range of languages – one title we looked at for an example had 23 different languages for subtitles and 9 languages for audio description! (+2 for lots of subtitled languages)

Looking at Prime in both a browser and mobile app, there are no categories for audio described titles. Although searching ‘audio description’ does bring up a range to choose from, these are not sorted into sub-genres. (+2 for having AD available. +1 for searchability) 

And the winner is…

So there you have it, Netflix takes the trophy having pipped Amazon Prime Video and iPlayer to the post. Though, if we look at the UK on-demand services only, BBC iPlayer comfortably takes the cake.

All in all, while most services have something to offer, there is definitely more that could be done across the board, particularly when it comes to searching for content with subtitles and/or audio description. 

It’s worth noting that we’d expect the British streaming services to offer BSL on some, if not all, of their content - especially if it’s catch-up content originally broadcast with a sign interpreter. However, expecting the likes of Netflix to provide ASL / BSL along with subtitles and audio description across their content is probably an unrealistic expectation. 

Similarly, subtitling takes time and money, so UK services may not feel that having subtitles in multiple languages beyond English is necessary whereas international subscription services need to cater for their subscribers across the globe. 

Hopefully with time, and nagging, all streaming services will come to understand how important these features can be for those with sight and hearing impairments.