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Red Bee Media

Caption Services | Free to Air TV

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Red Bee Media produces more than 20,000 hours of closed captions every year for these national Australian TV networks under exclusive long-term contract arrangements.

The Free to Air TV networks are required to provide closed captions on their programming under the following legislation:

Broadcasting Services Act 1998

  1. All programs (metropolitan and regional) broadcast between 6pm & 10.30pm
  2. All news and current affairs programs outside these hours.

HREOC* Exemption Agreement, 2003

Under this Exemption Agreement, the Free to Air networks must provide captions to 70% of programs broadcast between 6.00am and midnight, and 80% of pre-school and children’s programs.  This Exemption Agreement has been extended to the end of May 2009, on the condition that caption volumes increase to 75% between 6am and midnight, and captioning levels are reported to the Commission every 3 months.  A counter-proposal has been submitted by the broadcasters, the final decision is currently pending.

*HREOC: Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission