Netflix is ready to expand its suite of accessibility features in a new update aimed at helping deaf, hard of hearing, and visually impaired people around the world.
Starting this month and running through early 2023, the company will add additional audio descriptions, subtitles, and foreign language dubbing tracks to its entire Netflix Originals content catalog.
10 languages will be supported, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian, with eventual plans to expand to Asia-Pacific languages and unique regional European languages.
"For decades, the entertainment you had access to was determined by where you lived and the language you spoke, which meant that people who needed AD or SDH couldn't enjoy stories made outside of their home country," said the director of accessibility for Netflix, Heather Dowdy, in a statement. announcement message that accompanies the news.
"Our ambition is to entertain the world, and by expanding the availability of our SDH and AD languages to now cover more than 40 languages, we hope to give all our members the chance to see their lives reflected on screen."
Netflix and growth
That's good news for Netflix, which is currently in the midst of one of its toughest times since leading streaming entertainment.
This year, the streamer has been hit by losing subscribers, increased competition from Disney Plus and HBO Max, and had to remove many of its original productions, even those with large followings.
While the industry itself was seen as moving too slowly in its efforts to extend accessibility features to a broader audience, Netflix has been relatively consistent in furthering the cause. It already has 11 hours of audio description content and will ensure new additions are more clearly marked on the web and in iOS apps.
By supporting more subsections of its potential worldwide audience with greater accessibility features, perhaps Netflix can begin to fill the subscriber gap it has recently experienced.