After the broadcast ends, ORF Vorarlberg provides subtitles in TVthek and ORF ON
Vienna (OTS) – From January 1, 2024, the daily TV program “Vorarlberg Today” (7 p.m., ORF 2 V) will be available online with subtitles. Shortly after the TV regional magazine ends, it will be available with subtitles on the ORF TVthek and on the new ORF ON site (on.ORF.at). For deaf and hearing-impaired people in Vorarlberg, this innovation means barrier-free access to up-to-date TV information about regional politics and economics, culture and sport, society and customs.
Milestone for community
In Vorarlberg, around 40,000 people currently live with hearing impairment. This means that one in ten suffers from a hearing impairment. One per thousand of the Vorarlberg population, i.e. around 400 people, are deaf. The Vorarlberg State Center for the Hearing Impaired currently looks after around 16,000 people who regularly need support in everyday life. The subtitling of “Vorarlberg Today” is not only a significant improvement in the offering for deaf and hearing-impaired people, but also for everyone who watches the programs on the go on mobile devices and cannot or does not want to use sound.
Sophisticated technical requirements
The subtitling of “Vorarlberg Today” has only recently been made possible through new technical developments. The “Vorarlberg Today” team is supported by programs that are based on artificial intelligence and convert the spoken word into written text. In the future, ORF Vorarlberg plans to subtitle the “Vorarlberg Today” broadcasts live on air. The technology behind it will be refined in the coming months.
Vorarlberg’s most popular TV show, barrier-free
With the subtitling of “Vorarlberg today”, Vorarlberg’s most popular and most-watched TV program is now barrier-free: around two out of three Vorarlberg residents who watch TV at 7 p.m. watch “Vorarlberg today”, and the number of viewers over 50 is even higher three out of four.
Markus Klement, regional director of ORF Vorarlberg: “The online subtitling of ‘Vorarlberg today’ represents a central step towards accessibility, which makes it easier or even possible for 40,000 Vorarlberg residents with hearing impairments to take part in ORF Vorarlberg’s daily TV broadcast . This underlines our central concern to be an ORF for everyone.”
Angelika Simma-Wallinger, Central Editor-in-Chief ORF Vorarlberg:
“We at ORF Vorarlberg report what moves Vorarlberg and what people are discussing, on different channels and as close to the people as possible. With the subtitling, ‘Vorarlberg today’ also becomes accessible to the numerous deaf or hearing-impaired people in Vorarlberg.”
Johannes Mathis, Director of Vorarlberg State Center for the Hearing Impaired: “We are very pleased that ORF Vorarlberg is now adding subtitles to ‘Vorarlberg Today’ and making it available for viewing in the TV library. This marks another milestone in the inclusion of people who are hard of hearing in Vorarlberg. The subtitles enable you to participate in daily events in a timely manner, which in turn represents a real enrichment in everyday life and an enormous support for the hearing-impaired community.”
Questions & Contact:
Julia Feurstein
Press & Public Relations | Events
Vorarlberg State Directorate | DV
+43 5572 301-22558
julia.feurstein@orf.at
vorarlberg.ORF.at