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Monitoring performance

A public commitment by the BBC means that all its programmes, whether broadcast on analogue or digital, should be subtitled by 2008.

Under the provisions of the Communications Act, 2003, the analogue services of ITV and Channel 4 must reach 90% by 2010; and Channel Five must reach 80% by 2008. Digital broadcasts of these channels must reach the same targets.

All new digital channels must reach a level of 60% five years after their start-up, and 80% after ten years.

OFCOM, the regulatory body, has the power to grant exemption where audience size and the number of potential beneficiaries is small in relation to the cost of providing subtitles.

The Broadcasting working group monitors the performance of the main terrestrial broadcasters on analogue, to ensure that targets are met. The results are shown on the subtitling scoreboard below.

The latest performance table from Hearing Concern’s TV monitoring project shows the percentage subtitling by programme time achieved by the analogue channels.

The amount of subtitling should be the same on the corresponding digital channels except for S4C.

Unfortunately, it is not technically possible at present to monitor services broadcast on digital, but the working group is looking into how this might be achieved.

The 90% level is where, if you watched continuously day and night, you would see subtitled programmes on average for nine hours in every ten.

For more information about broadcasting contact our HelpDesk.