Geneva, Switzerland, 25 October 2013

Policies to promote media accessibility by multiple stakeholders

across EU Member States

Joanna WronaPolicy Officer

European Commission joanna.wrona@ec.europa.eu

ITU Workshop on “Making Media Accessible to all:The options and the economics”

(Geneva, Switzerland, 25 October 2013)

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Audiovisual Media Services Directive(Directive 2010/13/EU)

Scope: audiovisual media services broadcasts + on-demand services

Rules aimed at protection of general interests

The right of persons with disability and of elderly to participate and be integrated in the social and cultural life of the Union is inextricably linked to the provision of accessible audiovisual media services (recital 46 AVMSD)

Promotion of accessibility services (Article 7 AVMSD)

EU Member States obliged to:encourage media service providers under their jurisdiction to ensure that their services are gradually made accessible to people with a visual or hearing disability.

Means to achieve accessibility:Sign language, subtitling, audio description and easily understandable menu navigation

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Article 7 AVMSD - Implementation tools

Application Reports every 3 years1st application Report May 2012

MonitoringSMART 2011/0070, Study on assessing and promoting e-accessibility, May 2013

Consultations: Green paper: Preparing for a fully converged Audiovisual World: Growth, Creation and Values; closed Sept. 2013

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1st Application Report on AVMSD

AVMSD- an incentive to introduce or reinforce rules on accessibility The implementation of these rules differs a lot among MSs:

Some MS - detailed statutory rulesOthers - very general provisions, orSelf-and co-regulation Some limit the accessibility obligation to PSBs

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Overview of measures taken by the Member States

Accessibility requirements set as:Progressive targets in terms of accessible programmes Promotion of access services Voluntary approach (in particular for other services than subtitling) Commercial broadcasters: accessibility requirement set as licencing obligation or condition for DTT authorization

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Overview of measures taken by the Member States

Accessibility requirements for on-demand-providers : regulated only in few MSs

Technology offers more possibilities to assist visually, hearing and cognitive impaired persons (..) these opportunities may be lost if accessible content (..) is not produced or not made available to end users

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Other incentives

Financial incentives for film productions (e.g. increased rate of support where accessibility versions are made)State aid measures (e.g. for subtitling of evening news or in the field of production and broadcasting for hearing impaired people)

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Subtitling

All MSs provide for subtitling services but standards vary a lot

Average volumes - 52% of overall programming a challenge: not just volumes of subtitled programmes but quality of subtitling!

Examples of good practice: UK and NL(almost 100% subtitling) FR, BE, IE, SE

and FI

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Sign language

In comparison with subtitling much lower volumes of signed programmes (on average well below 5% of overall programming)some countries do not provide for sign language at allPT, BE, UK, SK : higher shares of programmes signed (10- 16%)

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Audio description

Programmes with audio description broadcast in 13 Member States Share of overall programming quite low ( average volumes range between 4% and 11% of overall programming)

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Green Paper on convergence http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/public-consultations-

media-issues

Question 26:Do you think additional standardisation efforts are needed in this field?

Question 27: What incentives could be offered to encourage investment in innovative services for people with disabilities?

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Conclusions

Very varied level of accessibility requirements across Member StatesScope for improvement as regards implementation, especially with regard to commercial broadcastersMain obstacle: cost of accessibility servicesMain challenge : accessibility obligations for on demand services!!

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