Why are my subtitles blocking programme information and names?

In pre-recorded programmes where there are namesor extra programme information that appear at the bottom of the screen, subtitles are placed in the lower third of the screen to avoid obscuring this.

With programmes with live content, such as News or Panorama, it is not known in advance if extrainformation will be displayed. With this in mind, subtitles are placed similarly as a precaution.

For sport, the subtitles are normally placed in the top left half of the screen in order to avoid blocking any sporting action. On some televisions this can block the score graphic. The tv has no control over this.

For those pre-recorded programmes where the subtitles are pre-prepared and pre-delivered, the default position is to place the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. We wouldn’t normally place subtitles in the middle of the screen for this type of content, unless there was a good reason to do so, i.e. a documentary may have someone talking with a name underneath, in which case we’d time the subtitles to briefly move up to avoid the name appearing and place subsequent subtitles at the bottom of the screen once the name disappeared. Or, as an example, if some significant plot action was happening in the lower part of the screen, we would endeavour to ensure this was not obscured by subtitles.

The tv have very clear guidelines on where to position subtitles; we are very aware of the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing subtitle users and the importance of not covering up a speaker’s mouth or facial expressions.