Sweden

[SE] New accessibility decisions extend TV4 and Viaplay obligations to 2030

IRIS 2026-9:1/18

Sergei Bondarev

Independent expert

On 19 August 2026, the Swedish Agency for the Media (Mediemyndigheten) adopted separate decisions setting accessibility requirements for TV4 AB and Viaplay Group Sweden AB. They took effect on 1 September 2026 and run until 31 August 2030, in four annual periods. Under Chapter 5, Section 12 of the Radio and Television Act (Radio- och tv-lag 2010:696), the agency determines the extent to which commercial media services must make programmes accessible to persons with disabilities. The new decisions replace requirements that applied over three periods, from September 2023 to August 2026.

The more extensive, specific requirements apply to TV4, Sjuan, TV12 and TV4 Play, and to Viaplay’s TV3, TV6, TV8, TV10 and Viaplay.se. The agency applies this tier to linear and on-demand services directed at Swedish audiences with at least a 1% viewing-time share. Other services listed in the decisions have duties to promote accessibility. The decisions cover subtitling, sign language interpretation, audio description and spoken subtitles, with Swedish-language programmes covered by the first three techniques and foreign-language programmes carrying Swedish translation subtitles.

For the linear channels in the specific tier, all pre-recorded programmes in Swedish must be subtitled on every distribution platform. The share of live Swedish-language broadcast time that must be subtitled is 68% in the first two annual periods and 71% in the final two. This rises from 60% in the first two periods and 65% in the last period of the 2023 decisions. Sign language interpretation and audio description each remain at 10% of Swedish-language broadcast time. For pre-recorded programmes carrying Swedish translation subtitles, the spoken-subtitle requirement is 20% in the first period and 25% thereafter. The previous TV4 decision had specified 20% throughout; Viaplay’s previous decision rose from 5% to 10% over its three periods.

TV4 Play and Viaplay.se must subtitle all Swedish-language programmes published during each period, and the same 68% then 71% shares apply to their live Swedish-language programming. The 2023 decisions had excluded programmes aimed at children under six from the on-demand subtitling rule and conditionally exempted live programmes. The new decisions remove this age exclusion. In the first year only, live programmes available exclusively on the relevant on-demand service remain exempt where technical or practical obstacles prevent accessibility. Interpretation supplied with a linear programme must also be available when that programme is offered on the corresponding on-demand service. The number of on-demand programmes with spoken subtitles must rise each year unless special reasons exist.

The companies may allocate the linear interpretation quotas across the channels they cover, and may supply interpretation simultaneously through their on-demand services. Where live sports or repeats cannot practically or technically be made accessible, the quantitative duties for interpretation, audio description and spoken subtitles do not apply, but the companies must work towards accessibility. Costs above 1% of the relevant service’s net turnover for the previous year need not be incurred. TV4 and Viaplay must report after each annual period and submit plans for increasing accessibility; the first reports are due on 30 September 2027.


References





This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.