Closed Captioning is a reality, and it needn't be a burden. It is instead a new sales vehicle, allowing producers to reap substantially greater profits than before.

The closed captioned viewing audience includes:

• 28 million recognized as deaf and hard of hearing
• 30 million immigrants who use English as a second language in the home
• 27 million illiterate adults seeking to improve their reading skills
• 02 million children learning to read
• 03 million remedial readers
(Source: National Captioning Institute/US Dept. of Education)

Households with Captioned Television

• 1997: 85% of all households in U.S. have caption-ready sets
• 2001: Estimates put the percentage of caption-ready sets at 100%
(Source: National Captioning Institute)

Brand Loyalty/Buying Trends of Captioned Video

• 66% are more likely to buy products advertised with captions
• 53% make a special effort to look for products advertised with captions
• 35% will change brands to buy product advertised with captions over one that isn't
(Source: National Captioning Institute/US Dept. of Education)

Demographics

• Age 18-54: 6.7%
• Ages 55+: 22.2%
• Male: 60%

Annual household income (in 1991 dollars) of the above:
• 62% less than $50,000
• 38% above $50,000

Employment of hearing-impaired population:
• 44% employed