The anatomy of an accessible video player (on TV)

A video player is the heart of any TV experience. It’s where content, business goals, and human needs collide—and where accessibility failures are most visible.

Unlike mobile or web, TV video players must work across remotes, ten-foot viewing distances, assistive technologies, and wildly different hardware capabilities. When a video player isn’t accessible on TV, users don’t just have a “slightly worse” experience—they often can’t watch at all.

An accessible TV video player isn’t one feature. It’s a system. Let’s break down its anatomy.

Clear, predictable focus management

If focus is broken, nothing else matters.

On TV, the remote is the primary input. Every control in the video player must be reachable, visible, and logically ordered using directional navigation.

What accessible focus looks like:

• Visible focus indicators with sufficient contrast

• Logical left/right/up/down navigation between controls

• No focus traps (users can always exit overlays and menus)

• Focus returns to a predictable location after closing menus

Common failure modes:

• Focus disappearing when controls auto-hide

• Focus jumping unexpectedly when captions or settings open

• Inability to reach controls like “More options” or “Audio tracks”

For keyboard-only users, switch users, and screen reader users, focus is the interface.

Large, legible controls for the 10-foot experience

TV is not a phone across the room—it’s a different context entirely.

Video player controls must be readable, distinguishable, and usable from a distance, across screen sizes and resolutions.

Accessibility requirements:

• Text that remains legible at typical viewing distances

• Icons paired with text labels where possible

• Adequate spacing between controls to prevent mis-navigation

• High contrast between controls and video content

Watch out for:

• Tiny progress bars that are impossible to scrub precisely

• Low-contrast icons over bright or complex video scenes

• Controls that rely on color alone to convey state (e.g., play vs pause)

Captions that are actually usable (and customizable)

Captions are not an optional enhancement—they’re core functionality. But having captions is only half the story. An accessible TV video player gives users control over how captions appear so they can read them comfortably in their own environment.

Living rooms vary. Vision varies. Lighting varies. Caption customization is how you meet users where they are.

Essential caption customization options

An accessible TV video player should allow users to adjust:

• Text size So captions remain readable at different viewing distances.

• Font style Including a clear, sans-serif option optimized for TV readability.

• Text colour Supporting high-contrast combinations beyond white-on-black.

• Background colour and opacity Allowing users to reduce visual noise from busy video content.

• Edge styles or text outlines Especially important for users with low vision.

• Window position (when supported) So captions don’t cover critical on-screen information.

Respect system-level accessibility settings

On TV platforms that provide system caption preferences (such as Android TV and tvOS), the video player should:

• Honour system caption styles by default

• Avoid overriding user-defined preferences

• Clearly indicate when player-level settings differ from system settings

Ignoring system caption settings forces users to reconfigure accessibility options they’ve already set—often repeatedly, across apps.

Discoverability matters

Caption controls and customization must be:

• Easy to find from the player UI

• Reachable using only a remote

• Labeled clearly for screen readers

Burying caption settings behind ambiguous icons or deep menus turns a required accessibility feature into a scavenger hunt.

Common failure modes

• Captions shrink or disappear when controls appear

• Caption styles reset between episodes

• Custom styles work for VOD but not live content or ads

• The player ignores system caption settings entirely

For many users—especially those who are Deaf, hard of hearing, neurodivergent, or watching in noisy environments—caption customization is the difference between usable and unusable content.

Screen reader and voice support

Yes—people use screen readers on TV.

Your video player must expose meaningful labels, roles, and states to assistive technologies like TalkBack and Voice Assistant.

Accessible player elements should:

• Announce control names (“Play,” “Pause,” “Skip forward 10 seconds”)

• Communicate state changes (“Paused,” “Captions on”)

• Avoid redundant or verbose announcements during playback

Be especially careful with:

• Progress bars and time indicators

• Dynamic controls that appear or disappear

• Auto-updating content that steals focus

Pro tip: Test with real screen reader users. Emulators won’t reveal timing and verbosity issues.

Audio and subtitle track selection

Accessible players don’t assume a single audio experience.

Users must be able to:

• Select described video tracks

• Switch between spoken languages

• Understand which track is currently active

Key requirements:

• Clear labeling (e.g., “English – Described Video”)

• Consistent navigation within track selection menus

• Persistence of user preferences across sessions when possible

Failure example: Described Video exists but is buried three layers deep in an unlabeled menu.

Playback controls that respect user control

Auto-play, auto-advance, and hidden controls can quickly become accessibility barriers.

Accessible behavior includes:

• Enough time to read and interact with controls

• The ability to pause, stop, and resume playback reliably

• No unexpected playback changes triggered by focus movement

This is especially important for:

• Users with motor impairments

• Users with cognitive or attention-related disabilities

• Screen reader users navigating sequentially

Error states and loading feedback

Accessibility doesn’t end when playback fails.

Your player should clearly communicate:

• Buffering and loading states

• Playback errors and recovery options

• Network or entitlement issues

Accessible feedback means:

• Visible, readable messages on screen

• Screen reader announcements for status changes

• Clear next steps (Retry, Go back, Learn more)

Silence or spinning indicators alone are not accessible.

Consistency across content types

An accessible player behaves the same way everywhere.

Users shouldn’t have to relearn controls for:

• Ads vs main content

• Live vs on-demand

• Trailers vs full episodes

Inconsistent player behavior is a cognitive accessibility issue—and a trust issue.

Accessibility is the player

On TV, accessibility is not a layer you add to a video player. The video player is the accessible experience.

When it’s done right:

• Users stay longer

• Content reaches more people

• Support tickets go down

• Accessibility debt stops compounding

If you’re building or auditing a TV video player, start here. Break it down. Test it with real users. Please remember: if someone can’t control playback independently, the content might as well not exist.