I'm not sure what you mean? Netflix got sued for not following the ADA over that exact issue, and it looks like they came into compliance years ago after settling and landing on a captioning framework with the National Association for the Deaf.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/11/tech/web/netflix-subtitles-set...

I regularly find stuff on Netflix that is only subtitled in a language not spoken in the movie. It's very frustrating. Combined with Netflix's increasingly shitty catalog and I'm sure I should cancel.

I can't comment on BBC, but I can't remember the last time I watched something on netflix or amazon that had missing subtitles.

BBC Live Subtitles are available on all channels apart from BBC Parliament, BBC Alba and S4C. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/using_subtitles

Most of the programmes on BBC iPlayer now have the option to turn subtitles on. I think a very rare, old, program that does not have it. As the standards state MUST http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/guides/subtitles/

The standards are clear. 4.1. Full-length scheduled programmes and their associated broadcast subtitles MUST be made available online through iPlayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/futuremedia/accessibility/su...

Not sure where you get the information about the BBC, but all of the shows on its main channels are available with subtitles.

Channels... I remember those.

I'm sure it's just more hours to them; on something they're trying to get out the door yesterday.

I take your point that they're time constrained, but I dispute the implication that a differently proportioned team may make different decisions. That's an assumption that goes against the balance of evidence.