Francais

Project Overview: Streaming Media Audit Report

Streaming media is now a main way people watch TV and movies, but it is often hard to use for people with disabilities. This paper audits five major apps (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Crave, ICI TOU.TV) on four devices (Google TV, Apple TV, Roku Ultra, Fire TV Stick) using both accessibility standards and real tests with assistive technologies. It checks critical tasks like setup, navigation, sign-up, search, and playback, and whether apps respect system settings such as caption styles and reduced motion.

Apple TV supports the most accessibility features among devices, while Roku Ultra supports the fewest; among apps, Netflix and Disney+ rank highest, and ICI TOU.TV lowest. Six major problem types appear repeatedly: blocked tasks, weak support for assistive tools, ignored system preferences, inconsistent interfaces, poor navigation and feedback, and almost no recovery options when things go wrong. None of the devices let users with significant vision or mobility loss complete initial setup on their own, although each has at least some positive features.

The study concludes that simply following standards like WCAG 2.1 is not enough. Designers and developers must also apply best practices, task-based performance criteria, and user-centred testing so disabled users can actually complete key tasks independently.

Read the plain language summary here.

Read the Streaming Media Audit Report here.

This work was funded through the generous support of the Accessibility Standards Canada Research Grant Program.