FAQs

Follow these instructions to turn captions on for your TV or set-top box.

Follow these instructions to turn captions off for your TV or set-top box.

Follow these instructions to turn on audio description for your TV or set-top box.

Follow these instructions to turn off audio description for your TV or set-top box.

Yes. Follow these instructions to turn audio description on permanently for your TV or set-top box. However, this is not possible through SKY Digital and some Freeview boxes.

TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, Three, Bravo, Sky Open, and DUKE.

TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, Three and DUKE.

Able is currently funded to provide captioning for broadcast TV rather than for streaming sites, with a focus on local, prime-time programming. 

With TVNZ, any captions that we provide for broadcast TV (ie. TVNZ 1) are then added to TVNZ+. You can see all the programmes with captions available here: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/categories/closed-captions. 

With Three, captions that we provide for broadcast TV are then added to ThreeNow.

Able is fully funded by NZ On Air and allocates funding available to caption and audio-describe programmes, with a focus on local and prime-time content. Able provides captions for six free-to-air channels – TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, Three, Bravo, Sky Open and DUKE – and audio description for TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 and DUKE. These channels have specialist equipment to broadcast captions and/or audio description. Extending the service to additional channels would require greater technical capability from the broadcasters. 

If the dialogue is rapid, the captions can sometimes be edited down so that the text can be read comfortably.

Able creates captions from scratch for many programmes. However, when a programme is captioned overseas, where possible the caption file is purchased and formatted for broadcast here.

Many audio described programmes are produced here. However, when available, audio description files are purchased and formatted for broadcast here.

Selected adverts are captioned. Able provides a commercial captioning service. Advertisers can pay a small fee to have captions added to their commercial, enabling access to a wider audience.

There is no regulation in New Zealand regarding captioning or audio description.

You can view captioned listings on your TV’s electronic programme guide, the TVNZ or MediaWorks websites, and publications, such TV Guide and magazines. You can also sign up to our Audio Described mailing list to receive a weekly schedule.

Yes. We love receiving feedback about which programmes you’d like to see captioned or audio described.

Live captioners use pre-prepared material where possible and respeaking speech recognition captioning for live-to-air segments.

Yes. Get in touch with us to talk about what you need – commercial@able.co.nz.