Accessibility gap in TV advertising impacts reach and consumer spending

Just 10% of global television advertisements include accessibility features such as closed captions or audio descriptions, according to XR’s 2025 “Global Accessibility Maturity Index & Trends Report” released Thursday.

The report, now in its second year, analyzed 650,000 video assets and nearly 12 million ad deliveries across more than 100 countries. It found that most ads remain inaccessible to viewers with disabilities, despite representing a combined $8 trillion in global consumer spending power.

XR’s data also highlights a broader trend in media consumption. Over 50% of adults, and more than 75% of millennials and Generation Z viewers, regularly enable closed captions—even when watching content in their native language. Industry research links captions to improved ad performance, with an 8% increase in recall and an 18% rise in brand linkage.

“Making ads more accessible isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a smart business decision,” said Donna Bungard, director of accessibility at Indeed.

The report evaluates accessibility maturity across three areas: brand adoption, broadcaster enablement and policy guidance. While broadcasters show readiness ranging from 30% to 100%, brand adoption lags below 30% in most markets.

Streaming ads remain especially limited in accessibility. Less than 1% of connected TV advertisements included captions or audio descriptions in 2024. Only four markets globally saw audio description adoption exceed 1%.

“Millions of impressions are lost when people can’t understand video content,” said John Batter, CEO of XR. “Accessible advertising ensures every impression can connect.”

Procter & Gamble is among the companies taking steps to address the issue. “We work with partners like XR who champion accessibility standards and help expand reach,” said Paul Gallagher, global brand accessibility leader at the company.

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The global average score on XR’s Accessibility Maturity Index was 2.3 out of 5, placing most of the 15 evaluated countries in the “emerging” or “developing” stage.