LONDON, April 7, 2026 – Adoption of subtitling in UK advertising has doubled in just two years, rising from 27 percent in 2024 to 54 percent so far in 2026, according to new data from XR Extreme Reach. The findings point to a meaningful shift in how the industry approaches accessibility, with every ad category increasing caption usage year-over-year, suggesting this is a structural change rather than a short-term trend.
The XR data highlights both progress and gaps. Government advertising saw the steepest rise of any sector, up 51 percentage points, while Beauty and Personal Care leads all categories with 81 percent ofads subtitled. Automotive, however, lags behind at just 28 percent, the lowest of any industry tracked, pointing to a persistent accessibility blind spot that the sector has yet to address.
“More viewers are choosing to watch TV series and social content with subtitles on, often by default, and advertisers are clearly taking note,” said June Johnson, Director of Accessibility Services, XR. “Subtitle adoption has doubled in two years, which is a remarkable pace of change and a real sign that the industry is stepping up. When people can both see and read the message, recall and comprehension increase, making advertising more effective and inclusive for everyone.”
The rise in subtitled advertising reflects changing viewing habits, particularly among younger audiences, with 61% of 18–24-year-olds watching video with subtitles. However, with nearly half of ads still lacking captions, brands risk missing a significant share of viewers who rely on or prefer captioned content.
With subtitle usage doubling in just two years, XR’s data signals a clear tipping point for the industry, but also underlines how far there is still to go.
XR Extreme Reach's analysis is based on hundreds of thousands of ad deliveries across 2025 and 2026 year-to-date via its global ad delivery platform in the UK, covering 20 industry verticals. As part of the delivery process, XR tracks whether accessibility features such as subtitles are present on each ad, allowing subtitle adoption rates to be calculated as the share of total deliveries that included subtitles across each vertical and time period.
About XR Extreme Reach
XR helps brands manage every aspect of their advertising creative, from talent payments and rights to ad delivery, so every ad lands exactly how and where it should. The XR platform powers millions of ad creative assets for the world’s top brands, simplifying how marketers version ads, archive content, deliver campaigns, pay talent, and track usage rights, all while saving time and money. Headquartered in New York, XR also has offices in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Learn more at www.xr.global.
Who We Roll With
