The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) has published a report analyzing the accessibility and representation of people with disabilities in television advertising in Spain. The report highlights a stark contrast between the percentage of the population with disabilities and their presence in advertisements, with individuals with disabilities constituting 9.4% of the population but appearing in less than 1% of ads.

The report examined nearly 4,000 commercial communications and aimed to measure the proportion of subtitled, audio-described, and signed content in television advertising. It also assessed the visibility of people with disabilities in these advertisements. The recently enacted General Audiovisual Communication Law (LGCA) mandates audiovisual providers to promote accessible commercial communications and ensure that the representation of individuals with disabilities is proportional to their societal participation.

Key findings from the analysis indicate that all institutional advertising included subtitles, and starting in 2024, audio description and sign language will also be required. However, only 8.7% of other advertisements included subtitles, with audio description at a mere 0.5% and no sign language services present. The presence of individuals with disabilities in advertising was nearly nonexistent, with only a few exceptions, such as an institutional ad from the Spanish Paralympic Committee and some inclusive ads aimed at children.

When analyzing accessibility by operators, private providers included subtitles in only 7.4% of their ads, with audio description at 0.5% and no sign language. In contrast, public providers only included subtitles in institutional advertising. Among generalist channels, Cuatro had the highest percentage of subtitled ads at over 12%, while Telecinco and Antena 3 were close to 10%, and La Sexta fell below 8%.

The CNMC emphasizes the need for advertisers and audiovisual providers to make a concerted effort to improve the representation and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in advertising, particularly through self-regulatory agreements.