ICC T20 World Cup to Stream with Hindi Audio Description and ISL for Visually and Hearing Impaired

In a groundbreaking move for Indian sports streaming, Disney+ Hotstar will offer the ICC Men's T20 World Cup with Hindi audio description and Indian Sign Language (ISL) for visually and hearing impaired viewers. This marks the first time such accessibility features have been introduced for live cricket streaming in India.

The tournament, which is estimated to have a media value of ₹1,600–2,000 crore, will feature 10 matches with these accessibility features, including India matches, semifinals, and finals. Disney+ Hotstar had previously streamed some Indian Premier League matches with a Hindi descriptive track in 2022.

Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+ Hotstar, emphasized the importance of democratizing the game by making it accessible to all. He noted that the platform aims to make its original programming available with closed captioning and audio description tracks.

While ISL interpretation of commentary is new for streaming, Disney has faced challenges in ensuring consistent closed captioning and audio description for content licensed from studios. A review by The Hindu last year found that most streaming platforms in India have limited availability of same-language closed captioning or audio description for their content.

The IT Rules, 2021 include a recommendation for streaming platforms to make their content accessible to differently abled users. However, most work in this regard has been through the industry's own practices, and the government has not visibly exerted pressure to facilitate accessibility on OTT platforms.

Disney+ Hotstar's initiative is a significant step towards making sports more inclusive and accessible to all. It aligns with the growing demand for accessibility features in the digital age and sets a positive example for other streaming platforms to follow.

Tags: #T20WorldCup, #Accessibility, #HindiAudioDescription, #IndianSignLanguage, #DisneyPlusHotstar