European Accessibility Act captions: a Q4 playbook to turn compliance into reach
Accessibility for digital products and services across the EU is now in force. If your videos, webinars or help content ship without reliable captions and transcripts, you’re already losing views, trust and revenue.
Make every video findable, watchable and compliant; in English and beyond.
Who this guide is for
Marketing and product leads, ecommerce owners, and comms teams serving EU audiences. You want a plan that meets the European Accessibility Act, improves conversion, and fits into busy roadmaps.
What changed and why it matters now
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) brings consistent expectations for consumer-facing digital services in the EU. In practical terms, public audio and video should provide:
- Closed captions people can switch on and understand
- Readable transcripts for audio and video
- Accessible players and pages that work with keyboard and screen readers
A simple, durable target is to build media pages and players to WCAG 2.1 AA patterns. If you sell to EU consumers from outside the EU, plan to meet these expectations for those services.
There is a bonus outside Europe too. Teams that add captions, transcripts and accessible players reduce the common issues that trigger digital accessibility complaints, all while improving user experience.
The upside beyond compliance
- Accessibility grows reach and unlocks value in content you’ve already produced.
- Captions increase completion rates in muted feeds and noisy environments
- Transcripts make video and audio searchable, scannable and shareable
- Localised subtitles lift conversion where customers prefer content in their own language
- The same work that reduces risk also boosts discovery, understanding and trust.
A 10-day sprint you can start this week
Use this sequence to move from “we should” to “it’s live.”
Days 1–2 — Inventory and quick winsbr/p><p>Add a one-page media accessibility statement to your site. List what you cover (captions, transcripts, keyboard support), any temporary exceptions and a contact for requests. Keep a light evidence pack per asset: source, edits, reviewers and dates. It speeds approvals and simplifies audits.
What “good” looks like (checklist you can use today)
Captions
Accurate, punctuated, and timed with speech; readable on mobile; speaker changes identified where helpful.
Transcripts
Verbatim enough to preserve meaning; speaker labels where relevant; downloadable; screen-reader friendly.
Localisation
Translate captions and on-screen text with context; check numerals, dates and regulatory phrasing; finish with a human review.
Player & page
Keyboard accessible, visible focus states, clear caption/subtitle toggles, transcript panel or link on the page. Build once, reuse everywhere.
Documentation
A simple job file per asset showing what changed, when, by whom, and whether any automation was used — with final human approval.
Budget framing a CFO can sign off
- You don’t need to caption the whole back catalogue to move the needle. Start where money moves:
- Captions + transcript for the top 10 EU-facing videos
- Two-language subtitles for five high-intent assets
One-off player/page template upgrade and a short accessibility statement
Compare this cost to a missed EU deal, under-performing paid video due to mute autoplay, or time lost to complaint handling. Most teams see faster completion, better search visibility and fewer support tickets; early wins that justify continued rollout.
Common pitfalls and easy ways to avoid them
Publishing auto-captions without review
Use them as a draft. Always add human QA, especially for medical, financial or legal content.
Skipping transcripts
Captions help people watch. Transcripts help people search, skim and use assistive tech. Ship both.
Localising the wrong assets
Start with videos that influence purchase or activation. Vanity projects can wait.
No evidence trail
Keep a light job file. It reduces approval friction and proves due diligence later.
Implementation options (choose the lane that fits)
Compliance Starter
Captions + transcripts for your top 10 EU-facing videos, a reusable player/page checklist, and a one-page media accessibility statement delivered fast.
Revenue Lift Localisation
Two-language subtitling for five high-intent videos, with in-market review for clarity and accuracy.
Webinar → Evergreen
Live captions on your next session, plus a polished on-demand package (corrected captions, transcript, summary and chapters).
All options include a simple audit log and monthly MI so you can show progress to leadership.
European Accessibility Act Captions
We’re not in the EU. Does this still matter?
If you sell to EU consumers, plan to meet EU accessibility expectations for those services. Many teams use the same approach globally to simplify delivery.
Which standard should we build to?
Use WCAG 2.1 AA as your working benchmark for media pages and players. It turns goals into practical dev tasks.
Can we start with machine captions to go faster?
Yes as a starting point. Always finalise with human review, especially on risk content.
Contact us today for more information on how to make your content accessible to all. We also provide translation services, closed captioning services, live captioning services, audio description, and multilingual subtitling services.
