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´óÏó´«Ã½ Vision today announces the results of its groundbreaking television audibility research project, which will form part of a new best practice guide for programme makers.

The project is the first of its kind, and is the most in-depth piece of research that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has ever carried out into investigating the precise factors that cause audibility problems.

This research has, for the first time, allowed the ´óÏó´«Ã½ to develop recommendations based directly on a detailed understanding of viewers' experience.

In 2010, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Vision carried out two separate online surveys among its 20,000 strong Pulse panel to identify specific audibility issues.

Based on these findings, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and the Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) sound engineers carried out in-depth analysis to establish the underlying causes.

Finally a piece of research was devised to test a range of different sound mixes with different audience groups.

Key findings to emerge from the research include:

• Audibility issues can rarely be attributed to one factor; it is usually a combination of factors. For example, a strong regional accent recorded in a noisy location; a softly spoken contributor looking away from the camera; background music or people talking over each other.
• The vast majority of audibility problems can be eliminated before any material is shot, eg location choice, sound set up, sound rehearsal time, briefing presenters and contributors.
• Audibility issues can be compounded with the addition of background music; a slight reduction in music levels (4DB) make a considerable difference to the audibility of programmes.

Danny Cohen, Controller, ´óÏó´«Ã½ One, said: "The ´óÏó´«Ã½ has listened to its audience and worked hard to understand fully the different issues that viewers have with television sound.

"I am delighted that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has created a series of comprehensive 'best practice' films to support our producers and the wider production community to make clear, well-crafted television sound.

"I am particularly grateful to the support the Voice of the Listener and Viewer and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and its membership has given us to help make this a reality."

Tanya Motie, Editorial Executive for ´óÏó´«Ã½ One and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three, who commissioned the audibility research, said: "Were aware that some viewers have issues with TV sound, but until now we've not been clear about how many people are affected or indeed what lies at the heart of these problems.

"As a result we believe we can take steps to improve audibility without compromising the editorial or creative ambition of programme makers."

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is publishing some best practice guidance for producers on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Academy's College of Production website, available for anybody to use. The guidance features industry experts giving their insight into how to produce top quality clear sound in all genres.

In addition, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Vision will be discussing TV audibility with executive producers in forums throughout ´óÏó´«Ã½ Vision.

VLV took part in this project in response to the frequent and large number of complaints they received over many years about inaudibility of speech in television programmes.

President Jocelyn Hay said: "This is the most common complaint VLV receives and in 2009 the number was growing. The problem is particularly serious among the elderly and those who already have hearing problems. It was in this context that VLV's research proved so valuable.

"We are delighted that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ listened to viewers and reacted so positively to the problem. VLV is extremely grateful to all those who have given their expertise to help solve it. We hope that as a result millions of people, currently unable to enjoy television programmes fully, will be able to do so in future."

RNID's Director of Public Engagement, Emma Harrison, says: "RNID's membership survey found a significant number of respondents said background noise affects their ability to hear speech on television and prompted more than half of respondents to switch off.

"We're delighted that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is listening to viewers' concerns and their new industry-leading best practice guidance will make UK programmes more accessible to people with hearing loss."

Notes to Editors

The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Pulse panel, run by Gfk NOP Media, is a representative sample of the population who complete online questionnaires about the programmes they have watched each week. Questions about audibility were added to the standard questions for two separate weeks.

The sound mix research involved three groups – one representing the general population, one covering 55-65, and one for over 65s.

In addition, the clips were shown to a focus group of members of the RNID with specific hearing loss. Each group was shown clips from nine programmes across the ´óÏó´«Ã½s output.

Channel 4 contributed to the exercise by putting forward one of their shows for analysis. The clips were remixed with music and effects at 1ppm lower and 1ppm higher than the original transmission and were shown to the sample groups, alongside the original version. The participants were asked to identify which clips they found easiest to understand and which clips they enjoyed the most.

RNID is the UK charity that takes action on hearing loss. They do this with the help of their members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research.

Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) is an independent, non-profit-making association, free from political, commercial and sectarian affiliations, working for quality and diversity in British broadcasting. VLV represents the interests of listeners, viewers and new media users as citizens and consumers across the full range of broadcasting issues. VLV is mainly concerned with the structures, regulation, funding and institutions that underpin the British broadcasting system. VLV does not normally handle complaints but it is concerned with trends and in 2009 the upward trend of complaints in this area was unmistakable.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Press Office