World-first online cinema focused on audio description launched – with help from TPT

Date posted: 30th September 2022

My Sound Cinema, a new video-on-demand platform dedicated to audio-described film, launches today.

The new service, believed to be a world-first, is focused on giving blind and partially sighted film lovers the opportunity to enjoy movies in an accessible online environment via a single site with audio description screenings of new and existing cinema releases.

Thomas Pocklington Trust has been working with My Sound Cinema to support the launch as part of our campaign to increase awareness of and availability of audio description services.

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at TPT said: “More and more audio description is available to make film and TV accessible to people with a visual impairment, but it is often hard to find or not available through on-demand services.

“We welcome the launch of My Sound Cinema as an option for blind and partially sighted people to access audio-described movies. At the moment there is no requirement for on-demand video providers to make audio description available, even though in the vast majority of cases the original cinema screening of a movie will have included it.

“This is something we want to change so that more content has audio description on release and through all on-demand services. In the meantime, My Sound Cinema does help to fill that gap and improve the experience of visually impaired viewers and we are pleased to have worked with them on this project.”

 

Thomas Pocklington Trust’s technology team worked with the new cinema to advise on and test the accessibility of their website. The Trust also organized a round table event for people with lived experience of sight loss to talk directly to My Sound Cinema to share their experience and help shape the new service.

The online cinema has been launched with support and funding from Innovate UK, Creative Informatics, Film Hub Scotland and The Space. You can find out more about My Sound Cinema on their website: www.mysoundcinema.com