ITV to run silent ad break during Code of Silence premiere

ITV will run a silent ad break during the first episode of new drama Code of Silence this week, starring Bafta-winning actor and deaf campaigner Rose Ayling-Ellis. 

All ads aired during the three minutes and 20 seconds ad break on Sunday 18 May, will be signed and/or subtitled and run without sound. 

Major brands, including The National Lottery, Virgin Atlantic, Boots Hearingcare, Cupra, Hellman’s, Ikea, Walkers, Aldi and the Scottish Government (for its fostering campaign on STV), will take part in the dedicated break.

Andy Kyriacou, controller of ITV Channels, ITV Commercial said: “Code of Silence is a groundbreaking new drama which brings important representation for the deaf community, and I’m really pleased to be also bringing this into our commercial airtime. We’ve worked closely with the brands involved in this innovative ad break to introduce something different that captures viewers' attention and aligns with the drama's theme."

Code of Silence is a six-part crime drama drawing on creator Catherine Moulton’s lived experience with lip-reading and hearing loss. The plot centres on the character Alison Brooks, played by Ayling-Ellis, who is recruited for her lip-reading skills to work on a covert police operation to surveil a gang as they plot a high-stakes heist. The series airs on Sunday at 9pm on ITV1 and STV. All episodes in the series will also be made available on ITVX at 7am, including a version with British Sign Language.

Recognising the need to improve the accessibility of ads, in November 2023 ISBA launched the Reframe guide for accessible advertising, and encouraged agencies and advertisers to make subtitles the default in their ad campaigns. 

However, accessibility remains an issue: in 2024 Clearcast found that on average only one in five (21%) ads that year was intended for subtitling.

ITV’s silent ad break follows efforts made by its fellow public service broadcaster Channel 4 to bring captions to all its ads by 2026.