Captioning began in NZ back in 1984 on a few programmes every week, funded by the proceeds of the 1981 Telethon. Captioning started to grow in 1991 when captions were launched for TV ONE’S 6pm news bulletin. Since then the captioning service has been funded by the good folk at NZ On Air, New Zealand’s government broadcast funding agency.
The amendments, which were passed by the Senate in June, introduce quotas for subscription TV providers such as FOXTEL. These will increase incrementally and will range from 5% on music channels to 75% for movie channels by 1 July 2014.
Captioning quotas for free-to-air television will also increase incrementally to one hundred per cent of programming between 6 am and midnight by 2014. News and current affairs programs must be captioned no matter what time of day they are broadcast.
“On competition days, Nine will deliver 14.5 hours of continuous live coverage with closed captions from 6.30pm until 9.00am the following morning on London Live,” said a Nine spokesperson. “Then from 9.00am to 11.00am each morning, you can see all the day’s highlights in London Gold, which will be replayed from 4.00pm-6.00pm every afternoon. London Gold will also be captioned.”
The program, which airs on TVNZ, was selected to be the first to be audio described by the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand.
It is planned that the audio description of Coronation Street will continue until the end of the year. The success of the service will then be evaluated, and it is expected that more programs will follow. The service can be received on Freeview HD and Freeview Satellite TV receivers, and has been funded by a grant of NZ$500 from NZ on Air.
