Why closed captions are essential for website videos

Much of our communication, entertainment and news are consumed digitally. On average we spend 6 hours 48 minutes a week watching online videos. 

When auditing your website for accessibility, videos that provide captions can improve the experience for users:

• With hearing or vision impairments,
• In sound-sensitive environments,
• Who like to enjoy videos on mute in an office or while travelling

Captions that are published by uploading a separate caption file to your video player. The associated caption file and video file are played together, so that captions can be turned off with the CC toggle button. (1)

• SEO benefits
  Search engines cannot watch videos but adding transcripts allows search engines to crawl the full text of your audio and video content so that it can be properly indexed and drive traffic to your site.
• Easy repurposing for content creation
  Transcript can be easily scanned and searched for key phrases and topics, direct quotes can be lifted and used as testimonials without need for manual retyping. Transcripts can help create report outlines, summary points and study guides for students.
• Flexibility for foreign language translations
  By providing translated transcripts for users from non-English speaking countries, your content can reach wider audiences.
• Aligns with best practices in accessibility
  Passing the page speed insights compliance audit, boosting your accessibility score, WCAG video accessibility guidelines and mitigating legal risks

• CC are only available on media players that support them, they may not work on older devices and browsers.
• May not be accessible with viewers that have difficulty using closed captioning devices
• Customisation opens vary across platforms – driving inconsistencies
• Positioning may disrupt or hide video content on screen
• Technical challenges – 

 Creating and implementing CC must be formatted in a way that’s easy to read and 
 understand maintaining appropriate reading speeds, 

 Creating caption transcripts can be a time consuming complex process (2)

Captions that are embedded or burned into a video, permanently on screen and cannot be turned off.

Supported by all video players and devices: they are part of the video file itself Provide consistency across different video players – allowing publishers to control the exact style and size of the captions, improved brand perception and user experience. Users with difficulty using captioning devices for screenings at movies and film festivals are given immediate access to open captions without worrying about accessibility needs. (1)

• User has no flexibility to view captions or disable them.
• No advantages to SEO and missing out on potential traffic

The US takes web accessibility seriously, with the UK likely to adapt similar practices.

71% of people with disabilities leave a website immediately if it is not accessible

In order to protect the rights of disabled people and ensure their access to the same resources as the rest of the population, several anti-discrimination laws have been enacted in the United States, including laws requiring videos to include closed captions when published publicly so that they are fully accessible.
 Over the last decade, many organisations have been sued for failing to provide comprehensive captioning for online video and audio content. Generally speaking, the best way to prevent being part of these legal implications is to transcribe and caption your videos. (3)

According to Hearing link, 1 in 5 of the UK adult population is affected by hearing loss and it is estimated there are approximately 12 million people with hearing loss, making it the second most common UK disability. At least 4.4 million people with hearing loss are of working age, which have several implications not only for those who experience hearing loss but also estimates that suggest the UK economy loses £25 billion a year in lost income across the UK due to hearing loss. (4)

In the UK, closed captioning for website videos is not universally required by law—but it is required in certain circumstances, particularly for public sector websites (government agencies, NHS, local authorities, etc.) and mobile apps under accessibility legislation.

Exceptions:

• Live video streams do not require captions.
• Content published before September 23, 2020, is exempt unless it is essential for active administrative processes. (The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018) (5)

Private sector websites: No direct law requiring captions, but Equality Act 2010 encourages “reasonable adjustments” to ensure accessibility. (6)

In a world where video consumption is ever increasing, If your website has videos or audio content, implementing closed captioning is essential for creating accessible, inclusive online experiences. It enhances SEO, boosts user engagement, and ensures compliance with evolving accessibility standards. Beyond legal requirements, captions make content more versatile and widely available, benefiting everyone.

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1. Open Captions vs. Closed Captions: What’s the Difference?, 3PlayMedia
2. 7 benefits and drawbacks of closed captioning, Naarg
3. 8 Benefits of Video Transcription & Captioning, 3PlayMedia
4. Hearing loss statistics in the UK, Hearing Link Services

5. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

• • Legislation
  • Guidance

6. Equality Act 2010

• • Legislation
  • Guidance