Subtitling reaches 50% of programming on public channels and 45% on private channels

The channels that subtitle the most are Clan TV (98.9%), Boing (97.3%), CS3 (86.7%, FDF (82.4%), Xplora (81.7%), Disney Channel (77.8%) and La 1 (77.5%).

The CMT Report on accessibility of television content, published this week by the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT), presents the activity of operators with respect to compliance with law 7/2010, of March 31, general law on audiovisual communication that establishes “support services for people with disabilities”, the percentages and values ​​of subtitling and hours in sign language and audio description. This quota was set for 2012 at 70% of the programming for public and 65% for private (90 and 75%, respectively, for 2013).

To prepare its report, the CMT has analyzed 19 television operators and 59 programming channels (5 operators are national and 14 operators are regional, assigned to the different autonomous communities). Depending on their ownership, five of the operators are private (4 national and one regional) and 14 public operators (the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation plus 13 regional public television stations).

According to this report, at the end of 2012, the percentage of hours broadcast with subtitles was 50% on public channels and 45% on private channels.

27 programming channels comply with the stipulated percentage (16 private and 11 public). Of these 27 channels, 9 channels are newly broadcast. In contrast, 8 programming channels have not broadcast subtitled content during 2012 (although one of them is La Tienda en Casa and would not be obliged to have 100% broadcast of advertisements).

The channels that subtitle the most are Clan TV (98.9%), Boing (97.3%), CS3 (86.7%, FDF (82.4%), Xplora (81.7%), Disney Channel (77.8%) and La 1 (77.5%).

Regarding sign language, whose broadcast is mandatory for three hours a week for the public and one for the private, the CMT has observed that 22 programming channels met the stipulated minimum. Of the 59 programming channels, 25 did not broadcast content in Sign Language. Canal Sur, Aragón Tv, La Siete and 3/24 are among the broadcasters that broadcast the greatest number of hours with sign language.

As far as audio description is concerned, 19 programming channels meet the stipulated minimum (three hours/week for public channels and one for private channels). Of the 59 channels, 32 channels did not broadcast audio described content.