The latest news from TVNZ is that they are now averaging about 20 hours per week of audio described programming. This is amazing given how quietly the service started in just March last year. The two regular popular programmes with audio description are Coronation Street on TV One and Shortland Street on TV Two. A variety of other films and programmes are also being described including programmes made in New Zealand.

The latest news from TVNZ is that they are now averaging about 20 hours per week of audio described programming. This is amazing given how quietly the service started in just March last year. The two regular popular programmes with audio description are Coronation Street on TV One and Shortland Street on TV Two. A variety of other films and programmes are also being described including programmes made in New Zealand.

Audio description gives you a spoken description of the important things happening on the screen. We all know how frustrating it is as a blind or vision impaired person to be watching a film, only to hear a long period of action with no dialogue and we just have no idea what’s going on. Even when there is dialogue, there are often things happening visually that indicate to the viewer that something is going on that you wouldn’t pick up just by listening. With audio description, a voice will tell you just what you want to know, when there is room in between the dialogue.

And if you want to keep track of this ever-increasing choice of audio described programming, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can do it online by going to the new TVNZ Access Service page. Or you can check out the programme information on the Telephone Information Service, option 2. The programme listings there indicate which programmes have audio description.

We applaud TVNZ and New Zealand On Air for getting behind audio description and continuing to increase the variety of programmes we can now enjoy.