Audio description and the spectrum of materiality: Gaining blindness through narrative negotiation

Indefinitely beyond Our Reach: The Case for Elevating Audio Description to the Importance of Captions on Australian Television

Universal accessibility to public television guarantees the fundamental right to receive media information and promotes social inclusion. British audiovisual regulations impose minimum quotas for subtitling, audio description, and sign language to make content more accessible to people with visual or hearing impairment. However, these minimum requirements do not ensure full user satisfaction. The aim of this study is to present a descriptive analysis of user satisfaction with the accessibility of BBC public television services, both linear and on demand, and collect the improvements demanded by users. The survey method was applied, interviewing 442 UK residents who were users of subtitles, audio description, and sign language, mostly people with disabilities or members of their families. The questionnaire also included qualitative questions to capture basic demands identified by the users. One of the main results is the need to improve the quality and synchrony of live subtitling, and to increase the fractions of programming with audio description and sign language. Moreover, beyond compliance with the law, it is essential to listen to the opinions of users with visual or hearing impairment to ensure that services fulfill their mission of guaranteeing audiovisual accessibility and promoting social inclusion.

For some years now broadcasters have been confronted with the reality of audio description, which often places them in a difficult position, stuck between legislation, internal or external obligations, societal responsibility, declining budgets and production companies for whom audio description seems just another costly administrative box to tick. But things might be changing as awareness of audio description and accessibility in general grows in an international market which starts demanding audio description as a non-negotiable deliverable. In this chapter, the role of the broadcaster as a stakeholder for audio description will be discussed. This role can be interpreted in various ways, each with a different level of engagement towards the audio description product and the target audience. The position of the public broadcaster, and the number one priority of VRT – creating and distributing accessible content for all, which includes audio description for the blind and visually impaired – will be analysed. VRT’s vision and provision of best practises as a broadcaster offering audio description, and within an ever evolving media landscape, will be illustrated in this chapter.

For people with disabilities being part of social life is essential for well-being. To accomplish this there are two possibilities: through interaction in person and through access to culture. One way to enjoy both possibilities is the cinema. For people with sight loss (people that are blind or visually impaired), there exists audio description which allows enjoying a film in a cinema. Project FASEA examined if this audience is as much immersed and could enjoy it as much as sighted people while watching a film with audio description, received through an app called ‘Greta’. Twenty-five people with blindness or visual impairment took part and were matched with sighted people in age, sex, education, and nationality. This was conducted in a commercial cinema under natural conditions with a comedy. We assessed immersion through the Narrative Engagement Scale (NES), the Modes of Reception Inventory (MOR), and the Audience Response Scale (ARS). Enjoyment was evaluated with the Emotions in Media Scale (EMS). People with sight loss showed lower scores in narrative understanding in NES and less thought-provoking and suspense in ARS. Also, they experienced fewer positive emotions. In all other scales, including all MOR scales, there were no differences between them and sighted people. The results confirm that audio description, provided by an application, is a useful tool for people with sight loss to immerse themselves and enjoy films as much as sighted people do and hence be part of social life.

Audio description remains the cornerstone of accessibility for visually impaired audiences to all sorts of audiovisual content, including porn. Existing work points to the efficacy of audio description to guarantee immersion and emotional engagement, but evidence on its role in sexual arousal and engagement in porn is still scant. The present study takes on this challenge by comparing sighted and visually impaired participants’ experiences with porn in terms of their physiological response [i.e., cortisol and heart rate (HR)] and self-report measures of affect [Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS); Watson et al., 1988], anxiety [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); Spielberger et al., 1970], sexual reactivity and arousal [Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scale (SIS/SES); Moyano and Sierra (2014); and the Ratings of Sexual Arousal (RSA); Mosher (2011)], and narrative engagement or transportation [The Transport Narrative Questionnaire, Green and Brock (2013)]. 69 Spanish participants were allocated into three different groups: 25 sighted participants who watched and heard the porn scenes in their audio-visual version (AV); 22 sighted participants who listened to the audio described version without images (AD); and 22 visually impaired participants who also listened to the audio described version without images (ONCE). Overall, results on physiological and self-report measures revealed no significant differences between groups or different versions of the clips. The analysis of cortisol reactivity to porn as the maximum increase or decrease in cortisol (t+12) with respect to baseline values (t−20) revealed no significant differences between the groups, but pointed to a higher percentage of non-responders than responders in the three groups, the highest being found in the ONCE group. As for participants’ cardiac response to the clips, no significant differences were found across the groups, with the highest HR levels being registered in the baseline phase. Self-report measures revealed significant between-group differences in negative affect. The ONCE group displayed the highest pre-task levels of negative affect and was the only group that showed a decrease in negative affect after exposure to the clips. Sighted and visually impaired participants reported to be moderately aroused and immersed in the films, regardless of exposure to AV or AD porn. In addition, correlations found between participants’ levels of self-report sexual arousal and transportation and post-task affect pointed to a positive relationship between exposure to porn and perceived levels of sexual arousal and affect. Results from the study reflected the efficacy of audio description in providing sighted and visually impaired audiences with a similar experience to that offered by original AV porn scenes. This study is exploratory but provides valid, initial groundwork for further research on the impact of audio description on porn reception.

In this article, we explore socially distributed cognition (SDC) as a theoretical model of translation and investigate it empirically as an aspect of the collaborative and creative translation workflow. With the aim of developing a better understanding of SDC and collaborative workflows in translation, we analyzed two different settings where more than one person works on a translation: commercial specialized translation (CST) services, and the production of audio descriptions (AD) as teamwork between blind and sighted describers. The analysis focuses on how the process of co-creation unfolds in the communication that binds together the systems of SDC. While the process of co-creation was strikingly similar in the two different translation contexts, the differences were bound to channels of communication (with or without direct contact between participants), and the draft translation was identified as a central artifact that carries much of the communication when the participants do not work in the same space. With an emphasis on socially distributed cognition, our study provides a framework for both the cognitive and social aspects of translation and develops the understanding of collaborative translation processes. It also contributes to the development of translation practices by helping translation operators and trainers make choices between alternative workflows.

RTV Slovenija is a national public broadcaster in Slovenia. In this chapter the practical approach to implementing accessibility services in production processes with a main focus on the audio description production process will be presented. The paper is based on the experiences of implementing accessibility technologies in the existing production and broadcasting process.

This chapter will illustrate In-House training in audio description. It takes as its example the training of new describers at German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) in Munich. BR has established over the years a well-tuned workflow in the production of description that is still done mainly in house. Although describers are freelancers and work mostly at home, editing of the text, recording and mixing of the description are done in BR’s sound department with BR’s own voice talents and technicians. Since to date the opportunities to be trained as a describer at public or private universities in Germany are very limited, In-House Training is the most common way to learn describing. This chapter will present the various steps in the Bayerischer Rundfunk in-house training process and its advantages compared to training in a university context.

The Great Recession has had devastating consequences on the audiovisual industry in Spain. Since 2008, direct investment in production has fallen by almost 30%: television advertising investment has plummeted and public/government funding for public TV channels has only been enough to cover structural overheads. Production and television companies have cut costs considerably. Television companies have attempted to reduce risk by cutting down on the number of new programmes they make, favouring internationally-tested formats with a proven track record, re-adjusting the programmes being broadcast, and producing fiction series. Production companies in turn have had to undergo considerable adjustment in the reduction of their assignments for television channels. Despite the cuts in public funding for Spanish cinema, the level of production has been sustained, and the market share in cinemas has risen for several years thanks to the success of many films. The traditional challenge of internationalising the production sector is becoming greater and greater as costs are reduced to make it possible to compete. The recent trend in television programmes is a shift towards reality shows and talk-shows, whilst for films and series, comedy has become the common denominator.

Objective: To investigate the perceptions of pancreatic surgeons regarding palliative care for pancreatic cancer and the current status of palliative care for pancreatic cancer patients in China. Methods: An online questionnaire consisting of 35 questions in 5 domains, including basic information of the respondents, personal interest, training and experiences of palliative care, recognition of the importance of palliative care, palliative care in the hospital of the respondents, and advice to improve the service of palliative care for pancreatic cancer, was distributed to pancreatic surgeons by the WeChat APP. All the data were automatically recorded and can be downloaded. The respondents’ perceptions of palliative care and the current status of palliative care were depicted, and the factors influencing the perceptions of the respondents and palliative care in hospitals were further analyzed. Results: Responses from 429 pancreatic surgeons were validated. 81.4% were from tertiary hospitals, and 18.6% were from secondary hospitals. 94.2% were from general hospitals, and 5.8% were from cancer hospitals. Most surgeons have worked for over 5 years (93%), 72% had senior titles, and 54.5% held administrative positions. 49% have not read papers on palliative care before. 73.4% of the hospitals did not have a palliative care team, 77.9% did not have specific ward or bed for palliative care, 76.2% of the surgeons thought palliative care needed more attention in their hospitals. 97.4% of the surgeons thought palliative care was important for pancreatic cancer patients, and 94.9% were willing to join the palliative team. 46.6% of the surgeons thought palliative care should be conducted once pancreatic cancer was diagnosed. Most surgeons thought palliative care was helpful and should be involved in the multidisciplinary team. Regarding the geographical differences, surgeons and hospitals in North China performed better than in other regions. Surgeons with experience in clinical trials of pancreatic cancer performed better. The top 3 advice from the surgeons to promote palliative care were more education and training, seminars, and public broadcasting. 69.9% of the surgeons have concerns about the legal issue of implementation of palliative care. Conclusion: In general, the majority of pancreatic surgeons in China lack training and experience in palliative care for pancreatic cancer, and the current status of palliative care in most hospitals needs to be further improved. Prevalence of the participants think that palliative care is very important for pancreatic cancer patients. Palliative care should be provided once pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, and palliative care should be involved in the multidisciplinary team. More seminars, education and training, and public broadcasting are practical ways to improve palliative care for pancreatic cancer patients.

UTILIZING QUALITATIVE INFORMATION IN ONLINE REVIEWS FOR SALES FORECASTING: THE VALUE OF FUNCTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL USER-GENERATED CONTENT

The impact of the cuts to regional public service broadcasters on the audiovisual industry: the Basque Country and Catalonia (2007-2014)

In global media governance, there is a growing emphasis on free trade which could rock the foundations of media regulation in Western democracies. While the US government pushes for a further liberalization of audio-visual services under the umbrella of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU, European countries and Canada are more reserved. They see the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) as a threat to their national media culture. Indeed the liberalization of the audio-visual services sector could restrict the possibilities of statutory media regulation dramatically: the funding of public service broadcasting, quotas for local content and support programmes for the audio-visual industry are claimed to be at stake. In their effort to resist the looming liberalization of film and broadcasting, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) experiences an unexpected revival as an actor in global media governance. By bringing in a non-economic perspective on the media, the UNESCO is thought to justify regulation that considers the media as not just another commodity. With the adoption of the new UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity (CCD) there is for the first time a legally binding international instrument which justifies regulation for the protection and the promotion of cultural diversity. However, the question remains whether the expectations associated with the CCD – namely to create a counterweight to the GATS – are realistic. This presentation aims not only at exploring the potential future implications of a further liberalization for media regulation but also at discussing whether the CCD can possibly stop this development. First it will be argued that the emphasis on purely economic aspects of the media in the current phase of global media governance puts strong pressure on societal regulation of the media. While the implications of the GATS are rather limited at the moment, future trade negotiations are likely to affect media regulation on both the European and the national level. Second, the presentation will investigate the UNESCO's role in global media governance, with a special focus on the new Convention on Cultural Diversity. It will be pointed out that the CCD fills a void within international law by highlighting the sovereign right of nation-states to take measures to protect and foster cultural diversity, including media diversity. Third, before coming to a conclusion, the relationship between the GATS and the CCD will be dealt with. While several clashes between the two treaties are conceivable, at the moment there is no solution in the actual event of a conflict. It will be argued that there is little scope to invoke the UNESCO Convention as a defence against GATS obligations. The chances that WTO bodies take the CCD into account when deciding on conflicts are probably slim at best. Thus, the convention is unlikely to stop the liberalization of audio-visual services.

This paper recalls the Italian audio-visual industry main macroeconomic data and structure as analysed in a recent book: a system centred on television with seven major national players (UK has 3, France 4), but not so able to create revenues and employment, to produce original programmes, series, documentaries, formats, etc. and offer them on broadcasting, digital platforms networks and through the new distribution forms of the Web. Comparisons are made with the national audio-visual systems in UK and France, stressing, on one hand, the Italian duopoly market structure and the huge amount of private TV rent not plowed back in new audio-visual productions; and, on the other hand, the cultural and political ruling classes' ability in other European countries to build and govern a private-public television system, preserving and im proving their production skills and industrial capacities. The main factors blocking the change of the Italian system are also recalled: the political parties' role in public TV company and the direct political role of the private pole's owner; a common sense identifying modern society with consumption and a cultural and media attitude appreciating the media (mainly TV) «audience building» whatever be supplied, and paying not so much attention to the industrial activities organised in and around the TV companies; the advertising power on the public television networks schedules and the role and weight of journalists, with their belonging or «references»to the political parties, in public television company programming and structures.

Family-owned businesses are foundational to Europe’s economic fabric, yet many fail to navigate intergenerational transitions successfully. This study aims to explore how European family-owned SMEs manage succession processes across the domains of family, business, and ownership. Specifically, it investigates the role of narrative strategies, governance structures, and emotional dynamics in shaping succession outcomes, with a view toward identifying systemic sources of conflict or cohesion. The study adopts a qualitative secondary multiple case study approach, analyzing three detailed European family business cases through the lens of the Three-Circle Model. Cases were selected based on geographic location (Europe), firm size (SMEs and one large company), and the depth of qualitative documentation. The analytical framework facilitates reinterpretation of existing data, focusing on how the alignment – or misalignment – of family, business, and ownership roles affects succession success. The analysis reveals several underexplored but critical dynamics. First, succession narratives can function as an alternative infrastructure to formal plans, especially in contexts rich in symbolic capital. Second, excessive stewardship by successors may inhibit open dialogue and necessary change. Third, inertia within the ownership domain can stall strategic renewal. Finally, misalignment among the three circles systematically generates friction unless mediated by deliberate governance mechanisms and identity management strategies. By applying the Three-Circle Model in a novel comparative context, the study offers an integrated perspective on succession that bridges emotional, structural, and symbolic dimensions. It introduces the concept of “narrative legitimacy” and demonstrates how identity narratives can stabilize or destabilize transition processes. Findings support the implementation of early succession planning, role clarity frameworks, and governance innovations such as family councils. The study also underscores the value of narrative construction in managing stakeholder expectations and reinforcing continuity. These insights are particularly relevant for family firms in Central and Eastern Europe currently facing generational transitions.