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The CVI: Your gateway to support and independence
Posted Oct 2024
This blog will discuss the accessibility of four of the UK’s major TV catch-up services: BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and My5, focusing on accessibility for visually impaired people, and availability of audio description.
TV catch-up services are online video-on-demand (VOD) services that allow viewers to watch programmes that were broadcast on television. Many catch-up services also offer exclusive content in advance of it being aired on linear TV.
With the increase in availability of on-demand access to TV shows and films, the ways in which we are able to watch television are changing, with many broadcasters taking a digital first approach.
Broadcasters are frequently advertising their catch-up services, when advertising individual programmes and more generally as part of their advertising campaigns, even advertising programmes that have already been broadcast on television, or are yet to be broadcast on television, to encourage viewers to access their on-demand services.
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BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is the home of all of the BBC’s programmes from all BBC channels, as well as online exclusives. You can also use BBC iPlayer to watch BBC channels, including restarting programmes and pausing and rewinding programmes.
BBC iPlayer has many features to enhance its accessibility, including audio described programmes, contrast for buttons, and screen reader support across many devices and platforms.
The website has many accessibility features – there are various ways to find programmes, programme information is easily accessible and buttons in the media player are clearly labelled.
There are two ways to access audio described content on the iPlayer’s website. One way is to select ‘categories’ on the iPlayer’s home page and then select ‘audio described’. From there, you can browse all programmes that have audio description.
Alternatively, if you land on a programme page from anywhere on iPlayer, if the programme is audio described, there will be a link labelled ‘go to audio described version’, which when clicked, will take you straight to the audio described version.
The app is also compatible with major screen readers including VoiceOver and TalkBack.
It is also possible to watch audio described programmes within the iPlayer app.
In order to do this, go to the ‘Settings’ section of the iPlayer app and toggle ‘new video controls’ to on. Once this is enabled, find the programme you want to watch and toggle ‘audio description’ to on. Once it is enabled, audio description will work on all programmes if it is available, regardless of how you access the programme from within the app.
There is also an ‘audio described’ category so you can browse all programmes that have audio description.
If you use your smartphone to watch BBC iPlayer on your TV through a Google Chromecast, audio description will also work.
Unfortunately, audio description does not work on downloaded programmes so you will need an Internet connection if you want to watch an audio described programme.
You can also watch audio described programmes on Smart TVs and smart devices, however, with the exception of Apple TV, the app is not very accessible.
Even though smart TVs from some manufacturers including Samsund and LG feature built-in screen reader capabilities, these do not work with external apps like BBC iPlayer, and the others mentioned in this blog.
BBC iPlayer has a lot of features making it accessible to visually impaired people and the BBC is committed to the accessibility of the app and website.
