New YouGov research shows that subtitles have become a normal part of how we watch TV and films. For Captioning Awareness Week 2026, we’re asking venues to bring that same access into the theatre.
If you watch TV and films with the subtitles on at home, you’re not alone. New research from YouGov shows that 30% of people say they prefer to have the subtitles on when watching TV shows or movies.
The percentage of adults overall watching subtitled films and TV shows has increased by two per cent (from 28 per cent in 2023).
Subtitles have become an everyday habit. But when people leave the sofa and head out to a show, that support often isn’t there.
We’re launching The Third Seat, during Captioning Awareness Week (9 to 15 November 2026).
Up to 1 in 3 adults in any audience could be deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. Many of them are missing out on live events, or not coming at all, because they can’t follow what’s happening on stage or on the talk or tour.
The Third Seat aims to make this missing audience visible. We’re inviting venues to help change things by offering captions and live subtitles.
Our CEO, Melanie Sharpe, said:
“More people than ever are watching with subtitles on, whether they’re deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, neurodivergent, or simply find text helps them concentrate. I hope arts organisations see this as clear evidence for offering captions and subtitles as standard, so every seat in the audience can be filled.”
Rachael Salt, a deaf caption user, said:
“It’s just so isolating when everybody gets the joke and you’re not in on it. Think about going out for drinks. If you missed the punchline and everybody else laughed, you’d feel a bit left out. Imagine that for a whole show you’ve paid for.”
Audiences have made subtitles a habit at home, but when they go out to a show, that support often isn’t there. Indigo’s Tomorrow’s Audiences report (2024) found that over a third of young theatre audiences want captions. The State of Theatre Access report (2023), by VocalEyes, Stagetext and Centre for Accessible Environments found that fewer than one in five venues offer them.
Even where captioned performances are available, audiences may not know about them. Indigo’s Access Culture report (2025) found that 71% of disabled visitors struggle to find clear accessibility information before booking.
Steve Mannix, Chief Executive of the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, said:
“There is a misconception that captioning costs a lot of money. Yes, it does cost money, but you get that return in audience loyalty. We’ve seen that again and again here at the Mercury, across all sorts of genres, from panto to everything else we do. Accessibility should be part of the DNA of an organisation.”
