Audio Description, or AD, has been developed in conjunction with manufacturers and the Royal National Institute for the Blind, to make television programmes more enjoyable to people with sight problems.
The service works by providing commentary to explain events during the silent parts of TV programmes, where there is no dialogue or narration.
The DRC welcomed the announcement from the TV companies. Chief Executive Bob Niven said: "Now programmes like EastEnders and Coronation Street will finally be accessible to thousands of visually impaired satellite viewers previously denied access."
The system also brings the TV companies closer to complying with legal requirements imposed under various Acts. The first of these, the Broadcasting Act 1996, requires digital terrestrial broadcasters to audio-describe 10% of their programmes within 10 years.
The 10-year time frame did not begin until 2000 and, according to the DRC, broadcasters are currently achieving 6%.
However, last year's Communications Act extended these requirements to digital satellite and digital cable broadcasters, and imposed a duty on Ofcom, the communications watchdog, "to ensure that domestic electronic communications apparatus is developed which is capable of being used with ease, and without modification, by the widest possible range of individuals (including those with disabilities)."
Both Acts are backed by a provision of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 that has, since 1999, placed an obligation on service providers to take such steps as it is reasonable to expect to make their services accessible to the disabled.
The DRC welcomed the announcement from the TV companies. Chief Executive Bob Niven said: "This is a great step forward for many disabled people who are excluded from enjoying the full array of programmes on British TV."
Mr. Niven continued:
"BSkyB's audio description technology was made available to broadcasters over two years ago and Channel 5 were the first public service broadcaster to take advantage of it. Last year we called on the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV to follow their lead and broadcast their audio described programmes on digital satellite. Our estimate is that nearly half a million visually impaired viewers will benefit from this decision."
The new service will begin as soon as practicable, said the BBC.
