There are more streaming services than ever before here in the UK. From the big hitters such as Netflix and Apple TV to more niche offerings including Shudder (for the horror lovers) and Crunchyroll (for anime fans).
The most notable recent addition to the gang is HBO Max, which made its long-awaited journey across the pond in March this year. It offers a selection of sumptuous film and TV offerings, including The Pitt, House of the Dragon and One Battle After Another.
Apart from wanting to binge all this tempting content, there’s another reason I am excited that HBO Max has launched in the UK – its accessibility features.
In the US iteration of the platform, HBO Max offers a variety of films and TV shows with on-screen ASL (American Sign Language) translation. Those include the likes of Barbie, Wuthering Heights and The Pitt.
It also released Sinners in BASL (Black American Sign Language), making it the first major streaming platform to stream a film interpreted in the dialect. It is far from the only streaming service to offer signed translation, but HBO Max takes a more tailored approach than most, by casting interpreters who match the character’s identity.
Why does sign language matter?
“So what’s the point of having sign language if you already have subtitles?”, you might be asking.
We spoke to Natasha Robinson, Inclusion Policy Advisor at RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), to understand why this is not the case. She says that BSL (British Sign Language) is “a distinct language with its own grammar, structure and visual cues that convey meaning, emotion and tone.”
Robinson continues: “Some deaf BSL users may struggle to follow subtitles, especially when speech and sound are very fast or complicated.” She adds that streaming services should offer both BSL interpretation and subtitles wherever possible to give “the deaf community greater choice and access”.
In the UK, major streaming services with more than 500,000 users (also called Tier 1) will soon have to make sure that five per cent of their content is signed.
The full Access Code is still under consultation but, once it is in place, Tier 1 platforms will have four years to meet the quota. And, with HBO Max estimating six million users by the end of the year, the streaming service will most likely be included in that group.
Playing the waiting game
At the moment, HBO Max offers ASL only in the US; a BSL (British Sign Language) catalogue is yet to be released.
We asked HBO Max about its plans, and a representative told us it is working through accessibility offering and requirements with various UK regulators and bodies “to seek guidance on best practice and the best way to work with and support the deaf community”.
That certainly sounds promising. But, while the upcoming legislation is a great start, there is still a long way to go. Robinson says that the five per cent target should be seen as a starting point and that streaming platforms “should aim to make as much content as possible fully accessible”.
Robinson adds: “As everyone has different preferences, it is important that services offer a wide range of accessible content.”
It’s not yet clear when HBO Max’s BSL content will be released. But if it offers the same tailored approach as its US counterpart, then it could be a key player for streaming accessibility.
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