Scroll through your LinkedIn feed on the subway, sound off: how many videos can you understand without reading a single line? The ones without subtitles, you scroll past. So do your customers. And since June 2025, a European text has put digital accessibility back on the table. Let’s separate the useful from the exaggerated.
Three reasons to add subtitles, even before talking about the law
- Sound off. On public transport, in an open-plan office, in a meeting: many videos are watched without sound. Without text, your message is lost.
- Accessibility. Deaf or hard-of-hearing people can’t follow a video without subtitles. It’s also useful to anyone who doesn’t fully master the language or who is in a noisy environment.
- Visibility. Text (subtitles, transcript) gives search engines something to understand what your video says. We discuss this in our article on video and SEO.
Subtitles, SDH, transcript: they’re not the same thing
| Term | What is it? | Who / what for |
|---|---|---|
| Subtitles | The text of what is said, synchronized with the image | Watching without sound, international audience |
| SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) | Dialogue plus an indication of who is speaking and of useful sounds: “music,” “laughter,” “door slamming” | Deaf and hard-of-hearing people |
| Transcript | The full text of the video, to be read separately | Quick reading, SEO, accessibility |
The European Accessibility Act: what it really changes
This European directive (2019/882), transposed in France, has applied since June 28, 2025. It imposes accessibility requirements on a precise list of products and services. According to the DGCCRF, the services concerned notably include e-commerce, banking services, transport booking, electronic communications and certain audiovisual media services. On the product side: computers, smartphones, payment terminals, e-readers…
Two nuances are essential so as not to be alarmed unnecessarily:
- Microenterprises, meaning fewer than 10 employees and turnover or balance sheet total under 2 million euros, are exempt from these obligations for services.
- The text does not say “subtitle all your marketing videos.” It targets the accessibility of services such as your online store. A video placed on a product page of your sales website is part of that service, and the reference technical standards expect subtitles for a video with speech. For a video published only on a social network, the situation is less clear: subtitling is strongly recommended, but the obligation has not been established.
Breaches can be penalized by the authorities (a class 5 offense, with a potentially high fine), and enforcement falls to the DGCCRF.
Tip The right reflex is not to ask yourself “am I required to?” but “how much effort is quality subtitling?” For a two-minute video, it’s modest. And you’ll no longer have to ask yourself the question.
Subtitling best practices
- Always proofread: automatic subtitling gets proper names, brands and industry vocabulary wrong.
- Break into short sentences, two lines maximum, on screen long enough to read.
- Choose colors and contrasts that are legible on every background.
- For a deaf or hard-of-hearing audience, add speaker identification and important sounds.
- Offer a subtitle file that can be turned on or off, in addition to a burned-in version for social networks.
Going further
This article gives general guidance and does not replace legal advice. Check whether your company falls within the scope of the directive, especially if you sell online to consumers.
- DGCCRF: your products and services must comply with the accessibility directive (in French)
- DGCCRF: the new European accessibility directive (in French)
Subtitling is planned from the shoot: clear speech, clean sound and well-thought-out cutaways make the text easier to read. At that dog, editing in DaVinci Resolve includes subtitling in the delivery, with versions adapted to each format, from the corporate film to the vertical video (vertical formats).
Videos you can read, even without sound
Tell us where your videos will be seen: we deliver the versions and subtitles to match.