News & Trends

Note: The viewpoints expressed in this article reflect the author’s interpretations and should not be considered legal advice. Readers are strongly encouraged to consult their legal advisors for clarification.

On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into effect, redefining how digital content is created and shared across the European Union (EU). The Act mandates that digital content be accessible to millions of people with disabilities. This compels organizations to redesign how they create and share information, ensuring equal access across all platforms and channels. This guide explains what the EAA covers, what sectors it affects, and how to achieve compliance while creating fully inclusive content.

Understanding the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

The EAA establishes a unified standard for accessibility across the EU, replacing fragmented national rules with a single, consistent framework. It redefines how digital products and services are designed and delivered, making inclusivity a legal requirement rather than a best practice for organizations operating in both the public and private sectors. Far-reaching in its scope, it impacts industries ranging from media and e-commerce to transportation, finance, and education, transforming how organizations of all kinds throughout the EU engage with their audiences.

What Is the EAA?

Building on frameworks such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, the EAA transforms accessibility from an option into a legal requirement. It compels organizations to embed inclusivity from the ground up, incorporating features such as closed captions, audio descriptions, and accessible user interfaces into their digital content production. With the introduction of the Act earlier this year, accessibility is no longer an afterthought, but rather, built in as the standard to which products and services across the EU must conform.

Industries Impacted by the EAA

While the EAA affects many industries, from advertising and banking to healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation, its impact is felt most sharply by media providers, broadcasters, and event production companies, who shape how millions of people experience and access information every day. For these groups, compliance translates into specific operational requirements in the following ways:

• Media Companies: Beyond captioning and audio descriptions, media producers must ensure full accessibility of their apps, websites, and devices. This includes designing interfaces compatible with screen readers, enabling voice navigation, and offering accessible customer support. They must also demonstrate compliance, which consumers now view as a key measure of trust and transparency.
• Event Production Companies: Producers must integrate captioning, sign language interpretation, accessible event apps, and adaptive technologies for both in-person and virtual experiences. This reshapes how events are planned, staffed, and delivered, requiring new workflows and vendor partnerships to ensure accessibility to all participants.
• Television Broadcasters: Broadcasters are expected to provide captioning, audio descriptions, and accessible interfaces across all distribution channels. This includes traditional TV broadcasts, on-demand services, and companion digital apps. For many broadcasters, this means upgrading legacy systems, rethinking production processes, and ensuring that accessibility isn’t treated as an afterthought, but rather as a standard requirement of modern broadcasting.

Why Compliance Is Crucial for the AV Industry

The impact of the EAA is felt most sharply by audiovisual producers, who sit at the intersection of content, technology, and audience engagement. For these organizations, compliance carries significant implications across several critical dimensions:

• Legal: Failure to comply can result in fines, litigation, and restricted access to European markets, making it essential to integrate accessibility from the earliest stages of content creation.
• Ethical: Accessibility allows content to serve all viewers, including millions of Europeans with disabilities, reflecting a commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility.
• Operational: The benefits include broader audience reach, improved search engine performance, and enhanced user experience, providing tangible business benefits alongside regulatory adherence.
  

Organizations that prioritize accessibility often see higher engagement, stronger content quality, and a clear competitive edge across both digital and traditional markets.

Key EAA Requirements for AV and Event Production

AV and event production organizations must comply with the Act’s comprehensive standards and ensure that every piece of content, every live experience, and every digital interface is fully usable for all audiences. This means meeting detailed requirements for audiovisual media services, providing inclusive live events and conferences, and ensuring digital platforms and websites are accessible, each with specific operational and technical obligations.

Audiovisual Media Services

By implementing these accessibility elements, media services can ensure their content is perceivable, understandable, and navigable for audiences with disabilities:

• Mandatory Captioning: Live and pre-recorded content must have accurate captions, with live captions reaching at least 98.5% accuracy and minimal delay.
• Audio Descriptions: Visual elements must be narrated for visually impaired audiences, seamlessly integrated into the audio track.
• Accessible User Interfaces: Media players and streaming platforms must support screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice control, and provide searchable caption transcripts and audio description indicators.

Live Events and Conferences

Inclusive events require accessibility in all aspects of planning and delivery, including these key elements:

• Live Captioning: All sessions, panels, and presentations must feature real-time captions with professional accuracy.
• Sign Language Interpretation: Major sessions require qualified interpreters, with virtual events showing appropriately sized video feeds.
• Accessible Event Technology: Registration systems, apps, and interactive platforms must work with assistive technologies, and all programs and materials should be offered in multiple accessible formats.

Digital Platforms and Websites

Ensuring digital content is accessible requires implementing the following key features that make platforms and interfaces usable for all audiences across devices:

• Captioning and Audio Descriptions: Platforms must support multiple formats for live and on-demand content.
• Website Accessibility: Must comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, including alt text, keyboard navigation, and proper semantic markup.
• Mobile Applications: Apps must be responsive, accessible across devices, and compatible with screen readers and voice control.

Overcoming Accessibility Challenges: Captioning and Beyond

The EAA requires AV producers, event organizers, and digital platform operators to meet complex technical and operational demands while still delivering a high-quality audience experience. Success depends on smart planning and forward-thinking solutions to overcome both technological and financial hurdles.

The Technical Hurdles of Accessibility Compliance

Making content accessible comes with several technical challenges:

• Caption Accuracy and Synchronization: Delivering real-time captions at the industry benchmark of 98% accuracy requires advanced technology paired with human oversight, especially for live broadcasts with multiple speakers or background noise.
• Latency in Live Broadcasts: Delays in captions or audio descriptions can confuse viewers. Strong network infrastructure and optimized streaming pipelines are essential.
• Multi-Language Support: Accessibility requires accurate captions and audio descriptions in multiple languages, accounting for real-time translation, technical terminology, and cultural nuance.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Many organizations rely on older platforms. Adding accessibility features often requires upgrades or full system replacements, demanding careful planning to ensure inoperability.

The Financial and Resource Implications

Meeting the EAA’s standards also carries ongoing financial and staffing considerations:

• Technology Investment: New software for captioning, audio descriptions, and accessible streaming is often necessary. While upfront costs can be high, these investments are critical for a reliable, compliant workflow.
• Staffing and Training: Hiring accessibility experts and training production teams ensures accessibility becomes a core part of the organization’s content creation process.
• Ongoing Operational Costs: Maintaining high-quality captions, audio descriptions, and accessible interfaces is a continuous initiative, but it will reduce the risk of fines, legal exposure, and lost audience revenue.

By tackling these technical and financial challenges head-on, organizations can not only meet EAA requirements but also enhance content quality, increase engagement, and expand their market reach. Proactively building accessible workflows into the content creation process turns compliance into a competitive advantage.

Your Path to Compliance: How AI-Media and AVIXA Can Help

While navigating EAA compliance can feel daunting, you don’t have to go it alone. With the right guidance, technology, and industry expertise, you can implement accessibility measures that maintain high-quality output and minimize disruption. A combination of easily accessible education, access to industry standards, and smart technology turns a complex challenge into a strategic advantage.

AVIXA's Role in Educating the AV Industry

AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, is a leading resource for AV professionals navigating today’s accessibility requirements. Beyond training, AVIXA provides structured guidance, standards, and practical tools to help organizations understand and implement compliance requirements.

• Standards Development: AVIXA develops accessibility-focused standards that integrate EAA requirements and leading benchmarks with AV industry best practices, providing a roadmap for designing accessible systems from the outset.
• Professional Training Programs: Workshops, webinars, and certifications give teams actionable skills for deploying accessible AV services, live events, and digital platforms.
• Practical Resources: Case studies, documentation, and hands-on guidance help teams avoid common pitfalls and integrate compliance and best practices into everyday workflows.

AI-Media's Technology Solutions for EAA Compliance

AI-Media delivers specialized technology solutions to meet the EAA’s complex accessibility requirements, with a primary focus on automation. This results in a cost-effective, scalable compliance solution that meets the Act’s legal requirements while supporting inclusive communication. AI-Media’s solutions include:

• LEXI Text: AI-Media’s flagship solution delivers AI-powered captions for live and pre-recorded content. It offers high accuracy, low latency, and multi-language support, helping organizations meet accessibility demands across broadcast, AV, live events, and digital platforms. Built to scale, it provides a reliable path to compliance.
• LEXI AD: LEXI AD (Audio Description) brings accessibility to blind and low-vision audiences by utilising AI to automatically generate audio descriptions that narrate on-screen visuals. These descriptions ensure that critical visual details—such as scene changes, actions, and important text—are communicated clearly. LEXI AD offers fast, scalable and affordable audio descriptions that includes face recognition and can be integrated into workflows. . By complementing captions, LEXI AD supports audiences who are blind or visually impaired, ensuring accessibility across both hearing and vision needs.
• LEXI Voice: AI-Media’s real-time voice translation adds multilingual audio tracks to live content. Powered by our flagship LEXI Text captions—and using isolated source audio for higher accuracy—it delivers ultra-low latency, natural-sounding AI voices that slot seamlessly into broadcast and AV workflows. While captions and audio description address core EAA obligations, LEXI Voice extends accessibility by providing spoken-language alternatives for multilingual audiences and for users who benefit from listening rather than reading.
• Project Management Support: AI-Media supplements its automation tools with project management support, working closely with customers to integrate captioning and translations solutions into their workflows, ensure quality outcomes, and support specialised use cases where human oversight still adds value. Additional project management support includes topic model setup, customization, and optimization, to ensure AI tools are aligned with specific content and audience needs. By leveraging AVIXA’s expertise and AI-Media’s technology, organizations can approach EAA compliance with confidence, reduce operational burden, and enhance the audience experience, turning accessibility into a competitive advantage.

Steps to Prepare Your Organization for EAA 2025

A structured approach to EAA Compliance ensures that organizations meet EAA requirements effectively while maintaining operational efficiency. By conducting an accessibility audit, developing a roadmap to ensure compliance, and retaining expert support, you can reduce risks, streamline implementation, and position your organization as a leader in accessibility. 

Conduct an Accessibility Audit

Follow these steps to evaluate your organization’s current capabilities and identify any conformance gaps:

1. Assess all audiovisual content, including live and pre-recorded media.
   
2. Evaluate content management systems, broadcasting infrastructure, and digital platforms for accessibility compliance.
   
3. Identify staff training needs and existing organizational knowledge of accessibility requirements.

This audit provides a baseline that informs planning, resource allocation, and remediation efforts.

Develop a Compliance Roadmap

With a thorough audit complete, create a compliance roadmap to guide your efforts. A successful roadmap should include key components such as:

• Establishing timelines, responsibilities, and milestones for content remediation, technology upgrades, and staff training.
• Identifying quick wins and prioritizing critical areas to demonstrate early progress.
• Incorporating risk management strategies to address unexpected technical or operational challenges.
• Including budgeting for both initial implementation and ongoing operational costs.
• Keeping updated on legislative changes by monitoring changes to the EAA and adjusting compliance efforts accordingly.
  

Your roadmap will ensure that compliance is implemented systematically and efficiently.

Partner with Experts

Working with experienced accessibility partners can accelerate the path to compliance and reduce the operational burden in key areas, including:

• Technology Integration: Partners, like AI-Media, help implement captioning, audio descriptions, and accessible platforms seamlessly.
• Regulatory Guidance: Experts provide ongoing updates and advice on evolving EAA standards.
• Staff Training and Knowledge Transfer: Partners build internal capability to maintain long-term compliance.
• Project Management and Quality Assurance: Partners can provide oversight and testing to ensure accessibility measures are implemented accurately, consistently, and on schedule.

Collaborating with industry-leading experts allows organizations to focus on creating engaging, high-quality content while meeting the EAA’s regulatory requirements with confidence. By leveraging expert guidance on processes and roadmaps, accessibility compliance can be transformed from a legal necessity into a strategic advantage for growth and profitability. The right partnership can help you broaden your audience, enhance engagement, and strengthen your reputation as a leader in both innovation and inclusion.

To learn how AI-Media’s automated solutions—from captions and translation to audio description—can help you meet EAA 2025 requirements with confidence, connect with us today. 

Image credit: Getty Images/dem10