South Korea's Broadcast Media Communications Commission has designated 89 broadcasters that must schedule closed captions, audio description and Korean sign language broadcasts from next year.

The commission said on Wednesday it selected and announced 25 corporations, covering 89 broadcasters, as designated providers of accessible broadcasting for 2027 to 2028.

Those designated include 75 operators under 11 cable system operator corporations and 32 channels under 14 programme provider corporations. Five operators were newly included, including SK Broadband, kt HCN, KCTV Jeju Broadcasting, Tcast and IHQ.

The designations follow a revised notice, implemented in July, on scheduling and providing accessible broadcasting and ensuring broadcasting access rights for people with disabilities.

Previously, the designation criteria were calculated by linking broadcast sales, rebroadcast programming time and production unit costs for accessible broadcasting. Critics said the formula was complex and could include small operators with high rebroadcast ratios among those required to comply.

In response, the commission unified the designation criteria around broadcast sales to improve regulatory predictability for operators.

Designated operators must meet accessible broadcasting scheduling obligations from January. The commission plans to check compliance through real-time monitoring.