Media Release

Greater access for Australia’s vision and hearing impaired:
Audio description and captioning to be included on major film DVDs

12 January, 2009: The Australian Visual Software Distributors
Association (AVSDA), representing the home entertainment film and TV
industry, has today announced that all the major film distributors,
and some smaller Australian independents, have committed to make
available audio description and English captioning on the majority of
theatrical films when released on DVD.

The distributors making this commitment include:

Disney Studios Home Entertainment,
Hopscotch Entertainment,
Madman Entertainment,
Paramount Home Entertainment,
Roadshow Entertainment,
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment,
Twentieth-Century Fox
Home Entertainment,
Universal Pictures Video and
Warner Home Video.

Disability groups representing the vision and hearing impaired have
been lobbying for an commitment from distributors regarding improving
media access features on DVDs and follows the development of the AVSDA
Accessibility Framework for the Home Entertainment Film Industry and
labelling standards developed in conjunction with the Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) in 2007.

The announcement today means that the major home entertainment film
and TV distribution companies operating in Australia have committed to
ensure that in the majority of theatrical films when released to
standard definition DVD will contain both audio description and
English captioning or subtitles.

Significantly, this commitment also meets the Federal Government’s
desire to ensure that DVDs distributed in Australia “include captions
and audio description, where these are already available”. (1)

“This announcement that Australia’s leading film distribution
companies will make access features available on the majority of
theatrical titles released on DVD in Australian is a fantastic
commitment to benefit the vision and hearing impaired communities in
Australia,” AVSDA CEO Simon Bush said.

“This will ensure that the vast majority of Australian theatrical
titles when sold on DVD format will contain media access features to
benefit the vision and hearing impaired communities who have been
asking AVSDA for this commitment,” Mr Bush said.

The AVSDA Accessibility Framework for the Home Entertainment Film
Industry and labelling standards can be viewed at www.avsda.com.au/dvdaccess.asp.
This announcement does not apply to non-studio or acquired films
distributed in Australia as these films and the DVD features therein
are out of the control of the distributor.

ENDS.

For further information:
Simon Bush, Chief Executive, AVSDA
Mobile 0417 642 200 or email simon.bush@avsda.com.au

(1)
Page 33 of the Discussion Report: Access to Electronic Media for the
Hearing and Vision Impaired –
Approaches for Consideration, Department of Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy, November 2009.