Foxtel and Streamotion's new streaming service 'BINGE' may have Game of Thrones and Big Little Lies, but it doesn't have the basic accessibility feature of Closed Captions and neither does its related sports platform 'Kayo'.

More than 6.5 Million Australians use captions (ABC, 2011). They're a legal requirement of free to air TV within particular hours of broadcast.  Paid services such as Netflix and Stan choose to have subtitles, as do other competitors to BINGE and Kayo. Foxtel's own catch-up service FoxtelGO did not have subtitles as an option until 2018. 

BINGE and Kayo's absence of subtitles is responded to with the following short and dismissive statement:

"To help you have the best experience, we’re always working to develop and improve BINGE. Whilst viewing BINGE with closed captions is not currently available, it’s on our radar for development."

Accessibility should not be on the radar after the service has been offered. Accessibility is a necessity and implementing quality captioning should be a top priority. 

We call upon Foxtel, Streamotion, BINGE and Kayo to take action and include subtitles on their streaming services. Accessibility should not be an afterthought.  Deaf, HoH, and those with Auditory Processing issues should not be an afterthought. Accessibility is a necessity.