Australian Communications Consumer Action Network commissioned research into the quality of live captions on Free-to-Air TV. This was after receiving feedback from Deafness Forum and consumers about the quality of live captions on TV.
Researchers from the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University analysed 20 hours of programming across the five main channels on free-to-air television (ABC, Nine, SBS, Seven and Ten). The quality of the live captions was assessed against the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s Television Caption Quality Standard.
The researchers found that most live captioning errors related to missing words, spelling errors, unclear distinction between speakers, and issues with caption lag and synchronisation. Issues were observed in relation to the length of time that captions appeared onscreen, and captions obscuring onscreen graphics.
Overall, the researchers found that live captions were not verbatim, and that significantly more errors were uncovered when researchers re-watched the programs with the sound turned on. This is particularly troubling as people who have hearing loss may or communicate in Auslan may be completely reliant on the captions and unable to identify these errors, some of which can significantly change the meaning of program content.
These findings are even more concerning given the recent summer bushfires and natural disasters, during which the community was heavily reliant on live and emerging information. In these instances, the accuracy of information provided through live captioning can be critical for ensuring personal and community safety.
The researchers involved in this project also made a number of recommendations. These included that the Television Captioning Quality Standard should be reviewed and that the Australian Communications and Media Authority should undertake monitoring of live captions. Another recommendation was that a second phase of this project be undertaken to give consumers who use captions the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of live captioning on free-to-air television.
Deafness Forum will work with Australian Communications Consumer Action Network and the broader disability sector to progress these recommendations.
The report is available at https://accan.org.au/our-work/research/1691-live-caption-research
