Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)
1. HELPLINE FACILITIES
As soon as possible, a helpline facility should
be set up to deal with enquiries from disabled people in general
and the specific questions blind and partially sighted people
are likely to have. The Helpline should have a facility for people
to speak to a live operator rather than to an automated system.
Given the intention of the government is to
give specific support to blind people, live operators on the helpline
should have undergone visual impairment and disability awareness
training to help them understand different impairments and their
impact on using digital TV. They should alert blind and partially
sighted callers to the availability of audio description on different
platforms and on the prices of the options that deliver audio
description and on where they are available from. Ideally, the
helpline function should offer a clip of audio description for
people to listen to, so that people who are not familiar with
the service can experience it. Furthermore, the helpline facility
should be a point of contact to enable people to find out whether
they are eligible for the "vulnerable consumer support package",
what this support entails and whether it comes free of charge
in their particular case.
2. THE DEMAND
FOR AND
THE COST
OF AUDIO
DESCRIPTION
For blind and partially sighted people
When making decisions on the level of provision
of audio description, it is important to bear in mind that currently
around two million people in the UK have sight problems. An RNIB
survey in 1991 found that 94% of blind and partially sighted people
surveyed used television as a key source of information, news
and entertainment.[8]
Another RNIB survey conducted in April 2003[9]
showed that 75% of blind and partially sighted respondents wanted
audio description. This figure was confirmed by the TNS audio
description research,[10]
where two thirds of those in the age groups 16-64 and in the age
group 65-75 showed wide appreciation for audio description.
Some of the comments that RNIB has received
on audio description on TV are:
"I have listened to The Bill since it came
out and I've never understood it. This was the first time I understood
it (with audio description)."
"TV programmes are much more interesting
and easier to follow. I hope the TV broadcasters will expand this
to all drama and films."
"[Audio description] has made watching our
favourite programmes far better, Coronation Street, Emmerdale
and Easters, are just a few that we can fully enjoy now along
with anyone else. I cannot describe what it's like to fully understand
what is happening. I have never had sight, and really didn't realise
what a large part of the programme I actually missed out on. I
would like to thank you from both me and my husband for making
this fantastic service available to many visually impaired people,
you have made a real difference."
"I was sorry that Waking the dead and Spooks
were not being described—they are good programmes that would
really benefit from being audio described."
For sighted viewers
The Audetel project conducted in 1995[11]
found that 40% of sighted respondents involved in the project
said they would find it useful to have descriptive commentary
on certain programmes, especially when they have the TV on in
the background, whilst they were doing something else and not
actually looking at the screen. A third of people in the survey
reported this happened very or fairly often.
The cost and reach of audio description
The cost of audio description is the outcome
of a commercial negotiation between the broadcasters and their
audio description provider. It very much depends on the number
of repeats on the channel, how many hours a day that channel transmits,
the genre that is being audio described etc, the overall size
of the contract, the length of the contract etc.
One ITFC, one of the main audio description
providers in the UK has informed us that taken into account that
variations might occur, the price per hour of audio description
is currently in the region of £500 per programme hour. Contrary
to general perception, audio description is not massively more
expensive than subtitling. Cost of subtitling also varies according
to whether a programme is recorded or live and the size of the
contract between the provider and the broadcaster, but can be
averaged as follows:
— prices for life subtitling are currently
around £250 per hour; and
— for new recorded programmes the cost
is now somewhere between £300 and £400, and increasingly
nearer the lower figure.
The prices of subtitling have fallen dramatically
over the past five years for the following reasons: increased
size of contracts as subtitling requirements are higher than before,
new technological developments, increased competition between
providers and new working practices and other measures to reduce
overhead costs.
As a result the prices of subtitling have dropped
dramatically in the past couple of years. RNIB is convinced that
doubling the target for audio description to 20% of programming
by the 10th anniversary of a digital licence could generate a
similar effect on prices and therefore the actual' costs to broadcasters
should be absorbable by their budgets.
As audio description is currently being rolled
out on NTL digital cable TV, the increased provision would have
an additional impact as from the end of 2007 onwards it will be
there to enjoy for blind and partially sighted people on all digital
platforms: Digital terrestrial, digital satellite and digital
cable.
Therefore increasing the audio description provision
to 20% of programmes would give blind and partially sighted people
a real reason for converting to digital TV, rather than the current
10% which does not provide a sufficient incentive.
21 November 2005
8 RNIB (1991): Blind and partially sighted adults
in Britain: the RNIB survey, Volume 1. Back
9
Perera, Silvie (2003), Interactive Digital Television Services
for people with low vision, RNIB scientific Research Unit. Back
10
Taylor Nelson Sofres (2003), Audio description pricing research,
unpublished report. Back
11
McKivragan, Kevin (1995), Audetel: potential among the general
population, BBC Broadcasting Research, Network Television Group. Back
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