‘We are now excluding people’
Government parties CDA and ChristenUnie are pleading on Monday, in the debate about the media budget, together with GroenLinks for more money for audio description. A voice that – in between the dialogues – tells what is happening on screen, is not only important for the approximately 350,000 visually impaired and blind people in the Netherlands. “More and more elderly people are using it,” says CDA MP Lucille Werner. “Then the group will grow by a few million.”
By investing an extra 1 million euros per year in audio description for four years, the parties hope to increase the number of programs planned for the service. “For one season of Farmer seeks wife providing audio description costs about a ton, “estimates Werner, who took the initiative for the amendment to the media budget. “With this money, ten additional seasons of a program can be provided with audio description.”
More expensive than subtitling
Recording programs is ‘very expensive’, admits Werner. “It is ten times more expensive than subtitling.” Nevertheless, the CDA member thinks a former presenter that audio description should be equated with subtitling. As a result, the hearing impaired can also follow several programs of the NPO. “We think that is very normal. But if a public broadcaster should be accessible to everyone, then audio description should not be neglected. Now we exclude people.”
The Media Act stipulates that ‘at least 95 percent’ of the programs on NPO are subtitled. No agreements have been made for audio description. Werner: “Amending the Media Act might be the next step.” She wants to ask State Secretary Gunay Uslu (Media, D66) whether that is necessary. The minister would like to look ‘benevolently’ at the plans of CDA, ChristenUnie and GroenLinks.
Because audio description is more serious, the service is limited in the Netherlands. Agreements have been made with the NPO about this – eight programs/seasons with audio description every year – but according to Werner, the number of programs on the service is not certain. “If you look at Europe, we are also lagging behind. There, 12 percent of the programs are provided with audio description. In the Netherlands we can all be happy with 3 percent. That really needs to go up.”