When you can't quite hear the TV, subtitles are critical
For the many people with partial hearing loss or total deafness – as well as those who need to listen with the sound off – subtitles allow people to enjoy the TV.
A great deal of thought and effort has gone into providing these services: the laws to require broadcasters to provide them, the technical challenges to make them work and the human time and effort to provide them alongside upwards of 80% of the TV programmes broadcast in the UK.
The design
Say hello to Tiresias ScreenFont! This is a special font designed for subtitles on British TV. The proportions of the letters and numbers are designed to allow easy differentiation between similar characters (for example lower case L and number 1, zero and O) and with larger-sized lower-case letters. It also has typewriter-style "a" and long "descenders" (g j q p y) whilst being slightly narrow to get a useful number of words per line.
[1] http://www.tiresias.org/fonts/screenfont/report_screen.htm
The rules
Here are some of the rules[3] – you might be aware of them:
- Capital letter (V) height is 20 pixels on a 480-line standard display and at least 50% bright. Usually they have a 100% black background.
- Tiresias Screenfont is required for Freeview, and used for Sky and Freesat.
- They must sit within the 4:3 cutout so they aren't cut off on an old shaped TV.
- They should never cover the face of the speaker.
- They are usually white but can use yellow, cyan and green to denote different speakers.
- Normally two lines, three are allowed if the picture can still be seen.
- The speed of words is between 160 and 180 words per minute (three a second, keep up!)
- Words must be synchronised with speech, unless they are being done live.
- They use a # sign to denote music, CAPITAL LETTERS FOR SHOUTING and mumbling is written out as such. Sounds effects are also written out.
- With live programmes the subtitles should not run more than three seconds behind live.
Ofcom requires…
The law requires that Ofcom demand any TV channel that has more than 0.05% of the viewing provide subtitles. This starts with a requirement to provide 10% in the first and second years rising to 35% (two more years) 60% (another two) 70% (three more) and eventually 80%.
The BBC policy is to provide subtitles on "all BBC TV programmes". Here are the list of channels that have to provide subtitles.
Why don't channels just provide subtitles?
People often ask why channels don't just provide subtitles without being required to. The answer is: money. Providing subtitles is costly and the proportion of costs for a channel with less than 0.05% of the total viewing is disproportionate.
Adding subtitles to BBC One, with over 21% of viewing costs the same as for a channel like True Entertainment that has about one hundredth. Whilst it is true that they might get some extra viewers, the cost of acquisition (creating, synchronizing and broadcasting the subtitles) would exceed any extra income they could make from showing these new viewers adverts.
It is true that channels often show programmes that have been provided with subtitles on other media (such as DVD or foreign TV closed captions) but if the content has been visually edited for timing or legal reasons, the whole show's subtitles will need careful (and therefore costly) reworking.
Which channels will have subtitles in 2016?
Channels - with their current share of viewing[2]:
Note that BBC Alba, ITVBe, ITV Encore, Sky Sports 5, BT Sport 2 and Fox will start their requirement to provide in 2016.
Which channels will have subtitles in 2017?
Looking further ahead, looking at the current year to date, these extra channels will be required to provide subtitles in 2017:
More reading
[3] http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/other-codes/tv-access-services-2015.pdf
| Having problems with TV background music? | 1 |
11:51 AM
Cannot get subtitles on bbc iplayer or other various catch up tv like fox if using sky, neo geo did episode 1 of genius with subs but not the rest of the season 5star didnt put first episode of shannara chornicals of subs,i wrote and complained(as i had been looking forward to the series,but subsequently put them all on subs
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11:55 AM
Sky 2 subtitles are rubbish,constantly sticking and missing parts of conversations every few mins.i could go on and on. For people who rely on subs tv is still poor.
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12:34 PM
Karl:
The provision of subtitles, of whatever quality, is a matter entirely for the individual broadcaster.
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1:03 PM
MikeP: You read the article, right?
Ofcom requires...
The law requires that Ofcom demand any TV channel that has more than 0.05% of the viewing provide subtitles. This starts with a requirement to provide 10% in the first and second years rising to 35% (two more years) 60% (another two) 70% (three more) and eventually 80%.
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10:36 AM
It was promised in 2015 that Chanel 5 have subtitled, here we are people like me ... baby boomers with hearing problems still can't watch their ( in my case ) one of their favourite channels due to not being able to hear the programmes
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9:50 PM
When are we likely to have subtitles on the horror channel.?
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10:20 AM
Joe:
You would do better if you asked therm directly as this website has no connection to that programme provider.
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3:06 PM
Joe
if you need to contact the Horror channel about subtitles there is a contact page here:
Horror | Sky 317 Virgin 149 Freeview 70 Freesat 138
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12:18 AM
I have a Samsung smart tv and a human Freesat box..why can't I get subtitles on the horror channel and some other programmes.thanks...
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10:45 AM
Pat Lloyd :
It is entirely up to the programme providers to supply any subtitles they wish to have available on their service. If they choose not to have them then they will not be available. I suggest you write to the individual programme providers concerned, not this website, asking them about the provision of subtitles.
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