Freeview recently announced the first roll out of its award-winning Accessible TV Guide, now available at Channel 555 on supported Freeview Play devices.

Freeview’s Accessible TV Guide aims to make it simpler for viewers with accessibility needs, such as visual impairments or hearing loss, so they can discover and find content more easily.

The first dedicated accessibility solution to launch on a UK TV platform, the guide is easy to find via Channel 555 on Freeview Play TVs and offers viewers a seamless experience which is uniform across devices and works straight out of the box.

Freeview is the biggest TV platform in the UK, used in 18 million homes and giving access to 95% of the nation's most popular shows, for free.

Andy Carter, Chair of the Media APPG, said: “This new guide is a truly innovative step forward in TV accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

“Once the roll out is complete the guide will be available to anyone with a Freeview Play television or set-top box, and the channel number 555 is easy to find due to the tactile dot on the five button. This will make a huge difference in TV viewing for millions of people with sight loss across the UK."

The media sector finds itself in a critical, complex but exciting time, as the industry evolves at an increasingly fast pace and must confront the challenges imposed by a global pandemic. The Media APPG continues to support initiatives promoting inclusion and accessibility for marginalised groups, to ensure that media platforms are available for everyone.

The All-Party Parliamentary Media is a forum for discussion within Parliament on public policy as it affects the media sector. An impartial organisation, the Group meets regularly to provide a useful interface between Parliament, the industry and other key stakeholders, making a valuable contribution to raising the quality of debate on media policy.