WASHINGTON, D.C. — Television broadcasters with stations in markets ranked No. 101 through No. 110 by Nielsen will need to adhere to the FCC’s 2023 Audio Description Order starting with the new year.
On October 17, 2023, the Commission adopted the Order, which continues the expansion of the Commission’s audio description rules to an additional 10 designated market areas (DMAs) per year until all DMAs are included.
Come January 1, 2025, this group of DMAs will need to adhere to the rules, which are designed to make video programming more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired through “[t]he insertion of audio narrated descriptions of a television program’s key visual elements into natural pauses between the program’s dialogue.”
The audio description rules require certain television broadcast stations and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to provide audio description for a portion of the video programming they televise to consumers.
The markets impacted come January 1 are:
- Johnson City-Bristol-Kingsport, Tenn./Va.
- Reno, Nev.
- Greenville-New Bern
- Davenport-Rock Island-Moline, Iowa-Ill.
- Tallahassee, Fla.-Thomasville, Ga.
- Lincoln and Hastings-Kearney, Neb.
- Evansville, Ind.
- Ft. Wayne, Ind.
- Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pa.
- Augusta, Ga.-Aiken, S.C.
