Understand media capability

The accessibility capability of media partners will inform how you deliver accessible ads.

Media capability is accelerating fast. Captions and alt text are already widely supported, and there is continuous development taking place to support audio descriptions for advertising in both broadcast and digital spaces. It’s essential to understand what’s possible for the placements in your media plan in order to plan your campaign production accordingly.

Broadcast capability

Digital capability

Request more information

A woman is watching television with subtitles while sitting comfortably on a sofa.

Photo by Ellyy for Shutterstock

Broadcast television

Many broadcasters already support closed captions across many of their placements, both in traditional and digital platforms, with development of further capability happening. Read more in egta's Practical Guide to Access Services in TV Advertising.

United Kingdom

More than 80% of TV ad impressions in the UK offer accessibility by way of captions, so TV advertisers should plan to produce them.

In particular, support for traditional linear television has been in place for some time. We are seeing fast development take place for digitally delivered television, and it’s important to work with your broadcast delivery partner to understand the most current capability.

Overview of the UK broadcast clearance process

The broadcast clearance process in the UK involves several key stages – script approval, rough cut review and final TVC (Television Commercial) approval. Multiple providers, including Clearcast, XR (formerly Adstream) and Peach, offer platforms and services to facilitate this process, each helping advertisers meet regulatory and compliance standards. By working with these providers, advertisers can ensure that their ads adhere to UK advertising codes and are suitable for broadcast.

A hand is holding a remote control pointed at a television.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska for Pexels

Adding subtitles (closed captions) to your ad

Adding subtitles (closed captions) to your ad

Adding subtitles to an ad does not require separate pre-clearance. Providers such as XR, Peach and Clearcast help advertisers add subtitles or closed captions in parallel with the clearance process. After the final ad is uploaded to the chosen provider’s platform, advertisers can select a subtitle provider to support accessibility, making it easier to comply with regulations.
Adding audio description (AD) to your ad

Adding audio description (AD) to your ad

Adding AD to an ad requires additional pre-clearance. It’s recommended to start working on the AD track early in the process to allow enough time for writing, recording and clearance. Each of the platforms mentioned above typically offer options to upload the AD file and confirm if the ad includes AD. If any adjustments are needed to the AD track due to script or timing changes, a new track may need to be provided. 
Choosing a provider

Choosing a provider

Advertisers in the UK can choose from several accessibility providers such as XR, Clearcast and Peach, depending on their needs. Each provider offers different features, integrations and support services to help advertisers to add accessibility features, navigate the clearance process, and managing compliance efficiently. For advertisers seeking broader support beyond the UK, XR and Peach are able to provide global coverage, facilitating compliance and reporting across multiple markets.
Finalising your asset for broadcast

Finalising your asset for broadcast

When finalising your asset for broadcast, each ad must have a unique ID called a 'Clock Number'. This number is the unique identifier that recognises the ad through clearance and is how broadcasters locate copy and are instructed to run the campaign.  There are no revisions or additions permitted to the clock number.  Any changes to the ad mean the commercial must be reclocked; resubmitted for clearance; reinstructed through CARIA and then redelivered to the broadcasters.  It is not possible to add subtitles or audio description after it has been delivered. The time constraints and financial implications of adding access services after the campaign far outweigh the cost of ensuring your ad is accessible from the start.  As some ads can be used for campaigns spanning months and even years, it is important to think about future proofing your content should requirements around accessibility change in the future.

France

Advertising on linear TV in France has support for captioning and audio description on TF1 Pub (TF1 and TNT channels), France TV, M6PUB and Canal+. Support on streaming TV is expected to start rolling out in 2025, starting with France TV and TF1 Pub.

According to data from Extreme Reach analysed in November 2024, just over 12% of ads in France are being captioned and just under 4% are being audio described. Faire group members are showing much higher rates of adoption, with more than half of their ads being captioned and 1 in 5 being audio described. Learn more about the Faire program.

A man sits in front of a laptop with headphones on smiling while also looking at his phone.

Photo by Jordan Nicholson for Disability:IN

Accessibility is a priority for TF1 Pub and we aim to continue working with industry partners to ensure greater accessibility on TV advertising. As President of egta, I would like to encourage all partners in the industry, and in particular all TV colleagues, to embark on this journey. Everyone wins if our content and commercial messages are made accessible to all.

- Laurent Bliaut, Deputy Director General, TF1 Pub

Other regions coming soon

To enable advertisers to reach 100% of their audiences, including people with disabilities, we call on broadcasters across the world to continue to build their support for closed captions and audio description. And we call on advertisers to ask for this capability to improve.

Technical specifications

Closed caption subtitling for broadcast is different to creating closed captions or open captions for digital and social media. The broadcast file (STL) is more restrictive than the digital file (SRT) as it has to comply with broadcast standards to ensure it transmits. You should therefore expect different costs for production of STL files. Software that is easily available for SRT creation is not suitable for broadcast.

Make sure to plan time to consider the placement of closed captions on broadcast creative to avoid pack shots, supers, legal text, price points, faces and more. Most automated solutions generate text with the same placement regardless of these other visual features, which are common to broadcast advertising. Remember to plan time and budget for quality checks and testing.

Confirm technical specs with ExtremeReach

Confirm technical specs with Peach

A video is being edited in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Photo by Wahid Khene for Unsplash

Digital

Digital platforms also offer widespread support for captions and many now support alt text and/or provide space to include image descriptions. Development is happening quickly on digital platforms, and it’s important to work with your media representatives to understand the most currently capability.

Confirm technical specs for Google placements

A man with achondroplasia and a friend are playing video games together in a living room.

Photo by Nevena1987 for Getty Images

Comprendre et améliorer les capacités

La collaboration avec les partenaires médias est essentielle pour renforcer les capacités sur le marché.

En plus de demander des informations sur les capacités d’un partenaire média, vous pouvez contribuer à faire progresser leur parcours en matière de capacité en leur indiquant quelles fonctionnalités d’accessibilité sont importantes pour vous et que vous souhaitez qu’ils offrent. Pensez à inclure l’accessibilité dans vos plans d’affaires conjoints (Joint Business Plans - JBP), vos appels d’offres (Requests For Proposal - RFP) et à demander des mises à jour lors de vos revues trimestrielles d’affaires (Quarterly Business Reviews - QBR).

Les partenaires médias travaillent dur pour améliorer leurs capacités et doivent prendre en compte un large éventail d’éléments. En leur indiquant comment vous utiliserez les fonctionnalités d’accessibilité et quels emplacements sont prioritaires pour vous, vous pouvez les aider à optimiser leur feuille de route de développement.

Download our guide to requesting capability from your media partners

Demander plus d’informations