‘Always room to learn’: Reactions to Channel 4’s accessibility target
Channel 4 is aiming to offer closed captions for ad campaigns on all Channel 4 airtime by the end of 2026.
That would include subtitles for those watching Channel 4’s streaming app via big screens, such as smart TVs, in addition to existing availability of captioning via small screens like mobile phones and tablets.
The public-service broadcaster has long sought to improve the accessibility of its advertising and programming, with the goal of servicing all UK audiences.
According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, 18m people in the UK have varying degrees of hearing loss of deafness. Yet only 25% of advertising on Channel 4, as of last summer, was enabled for subtitles.
Last summer, Channel 4 sought to address this disparity by adding captions to all ads during its coverage of the Paris Paralympic Games. In the end, only 60% of ads included subtitles, as many advertisers failed to deliver necessary captioning via external teams to the broadcaster.
Channel 4 Sales customer and commercial leader Amy Jenkins told The Media Leader that it is “fair to say we hit some hurdles we didn’t expect”.
She admitted that there was a “feeling” among advertisers that “it was very costly” to ensure subtitles were included, leading to the missed target.
Channel 4, Bupa and Purple Goat call for accessibility legacy post-Paralympics
“We kind of realised that we need to go back and make sure people understand just how easy it is to add those accessible features to their advertising,” she continued.
For this reason, while it is Channel 4’s ambition to make all ads accessible during 2026, and the broadcaster is undertaking significant technical work to deliver captioning on its ad servers and video players, it cannot guarantee that this will be the case unless advertisers lean in.
More work to be done
Steven Morris, campaigns officer at national disability charity Sense, who is deafblind, told The Media Leader that “steps towards making TV more accessible — from more closed captions to easier access to subtitled content — should be applauded”.
“Many disabled people can struggle to access content online and on the television that suits their needs, and we also hear from disabled people that they want to see more disability representation on their screens too,” Morris continued.
“Strides have been made in both of these areas, but we’d really like to see all production companies and TV channels putting accessibility and inclusivity at the heart of their work, including learning from each other and introducing a range of more accessible formats that recognise different people’s needs.”
For its part, Channel 4 claimed to have created the “most accessible sponsorship idents” yet seen in the UK for Toyota and Allianz, in advance of the Paralympics. Furthermore, during the tournament, Channel 4 teamed up with health insurance company Bupa and inclusive marketing agency Purple Goat on an initiative to encourage the ad industry to remain focused on representing disabled people after the Paralympics.
Purple Goat also consulted on Channel 4’s “Considering What?” campaign — the first Channel 4 Paralympics campaign since 2012 to not feature the “Superhumans” concept.
Dom Hyams, Purple Goat’s global client director, previously told The Media Leader that Channel 4 is “the gold standard” for running ads with disabled representation. He estimated that disabled people are included in around 4% of its ads — substantially more than the 1% from other broadcasters, although still well below global representation.
In reaction to Channel 4’s latest closed captioning target, Purple Goat CEO Martyn Sibley said the broadcaster’s commitment to making advertising more accessible is “a major step forward”.
“It’s a move that aligns with how the broader industry is moving toward inclusive content and accessible media,” he told The Media Leader, adding that expanding closed captioning efforts will “have a significant impact, particularly for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, ensuring they can engage with advertising content in the same way as hearing audiences.”
However, like Morris, Sibley pointed out that full accessibility “still requires more” work.
“We need further expansion of audio descriptions for blind viewers, standardisation of accessible formats across digital platforms and an increase to disabled representation in ad production,” Sibley explained. “Brands should be looking to integrate accessibility from the creative stage too — not as an afterthought.
“Channel 4 has long championed inclusion and this initiative strengthens that legacy. But there’s always room to learn from this and push further to encourage industry-wide adoption of best practices in accessibility.”
Spotlighting sustainable business growth
Apart from the latest accessibility goals, Channel 4 also intends to launch an initiative to promote sustainable business practices by partnering B Corp-certified companies. It will reward five businesses with free airtime worth £120,000 each.
“What we want to do is shine a light on good, sustainable business growth in the UK,” said head of sales and business development Ewan Douglas.
He told The Media Leader that there were multiple motivations for leaning more heavily into sustainability efforts, including appealing to Gen Z audiences, who over-index in their interest in sustainability, as well as providing a service for advertisers that are increasingly looking to understand the impact of sustainability on their business.
To that end, Channel 4 Sales is also developing a new way for advertisers to access emissions data about their digital campaigns across the broadcaster’s owned and operated platforms. Channel 4 Sales claims it will be the first department within a major UK broadcaster to do so.
While Channel 4 is not itself a B Corp — publicly owned businesses are not allowed to qualify — Douglas said: “All of our values and behaviours align with being B Corp.”
In addition to its sustainability and accessibility work, Channel 4 also supports inclusivity via its Diversity in Advertising Award, Black in Business initiative and media-for-equity fund Channel 4 Ventures.
The efforts are part of a wider ethos at Channel 4 described by Douglas as “business for good, growth for good”.
“We want to platform really positive behaviour,” he concluded.
Channel 4 to relaunch streaming offering as it doubles down on digital strategy