For the first time in the 93-year history of the Academy Awards, this year’s Oscars broadcast on ABC featured both closed captioning and audio description for the live nationwide telecast.
VITAC once again provided closed captioning for the Oscars event, and we’re proud to have worked with our partner Audio Eyes to provide live audio description during the broadcast.
Captioning is the art of transcribing the audio portion of a video, program, or event into text and displaying that text on a screen. Captions largely are used by members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, but they have been shown to benefit all viewers and make content inclusive and accessible to all.
The addition of audio description — audio narrated descriptions of a program’s key visual elements — ensures that viewers who are blind or with low-vision will be able to take in all the action occurring on the screen and provide a much richer experience as they listen to the more traditional aspects of the show from the presenters, winners, and performers.
The inclusion is part of ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ ongoing efforts to broaden access for all viewers.
The 93rd Oscars aired live on Sunday, April 25, on ABC at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.