["Sociology Lens, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWhat are captions, and why do they matter? Captioning is a text‐based tool that makes it easier for those who do not sufficiently recognize spoken language on the screen to understand TV and films. Furthermore, the captions help viewers understand the screen content, notwithstanding the context they are in. Captions on film, TV programs, social media, or motion pictures can be referred to as ‘open’ or ‘closed’. In open format, captioning is always ‘on’; in closed format, it can be manually switched on or off. The benefit of captioning is that it improves deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people's reading skills and overall understanding of the film's content, and it is significantly vital for the DHH Community, especially when sign language is unavailable. This article describes the early phases of captioning for the national television channels in Hong Kong between the 1960s and the 1980s. Hong Kong became the center of the Asian film industry during these decades. In contemporary Hong Kong in the 2020s, licensing policies dictate the captioning conditions for TV programs and films. It is pertinent to observe how captions were perceived and implemented—whether for the benefit of people with DHH or the public—as they are today, taken for granted in TV, film, and media publications, backed by national and international policies promoting accessibility to information. This study draws from systematic archival research of Hong Kong Public Records on the topic and extensive ethnographic research in Hong Kong between 2018 and 2020. In this article, I will investigate: First, how and why did captioning emerge historically (1960s and 1980s) as a key accessibility practice for deaf and hard‐of‐hearing audiences in audiovisual media? Second, how did archival debates among broadcasters, policymakers, and Deaf Communities frame the purpose and value of captioning? Hong Kong, as one of the epicenters of the global film industry—especially Asian cinema—is an ideal location to investigate the subject and its implications for various groups of people. This study presents critical discussions on the topic and situates them within the Hong Kong context. The theoretical framework and analysis are based on Social Worlds/arenas, an ethnographic reading on Grounded Theory, and an analytical outline of various social domains where Deaf Community made visible. Through examples of historical correspondence, I aim to demonstrate how selected Hong Kong public organizations and policy‐level representatives perceive the function and value of TV captioning, ultimately highlighting its usage for DHH people in Hong Kong and their access to broadcast information.\n"]