Government and public statistics
Annex 2: Changes to Ofcom's Code on Television Access Services
Ofcom, Ofcom (Office of Communications, United Kingdom), n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- Ofcom's annex to its statement on the Code on Television Access Services, which sets the requirements for subtitling, sign language and audio description on UK television. Section 3.1 of the code gives the definitions used in the rules.
- How much weight it carries
- Published by the UK regulator that enforces the code, so the definitions are authoritative for UK broadcast. The code applies to broadcasters, not to streaming or US captions, and the annex shows changes to the code rather than the full code, so check the current code before relying on exact wording.
Facts taken from this source
- Ofcom's code defines subtitling as text on screen representing speech and sound effects, synchronised as closely as possible to the sound, and suitable for people with hearing loss and d/Deaf people.
“'subtitling' refers to text on screen representing speech and sound effects synchronised as closely as possible to the sound, suitable for use by people with hearing loss and d/Deaf people.” (Section 3.1(a), Definitions)