Revolutionize Media Accessibility: AI-Generated Subtitles and Closed Captions

Major platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube now automate both video captioning and subtitling. The surge in adoption is not limited to English-speaking markets; it extends to global audiences, catalyzed by the success of non-English language series like Squid Game and Money Heist. 

Naturally, AI captioning has been developed to meet the demand both in English-speaking and other new markets. As the media landscape evolves to cater to diverse audiences, the integration of AI helps address the needs of viewers with varying abilities, ensuring accessibility, as well as retention and engagement of audiences even when the video sound is muted. 

Let’s review what makes “on-screen text” symbolic of the current media moment and what kinds of textual accessibility tools are available for producers’ and creators’ use.

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Supplying the Demand

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While captions used to be primarily an accessibility tool for viewers who are Deaf and hard of hearing, they are now in mainstream demand. A technology that used to be considered niche is now something audiences expect – and is inexpensive to deliver when it’s auto-generated. 

A recent survey of American viewers’ preferences showed that 50% of Americans habitually watch content with captions. Notably, the younger demographic, particularly Gen-Z, demonstrates a more stable prevalence, with over 70% watching most of their content with video captions. Those who grew up on the internet, consuming media from around the world, are used to text on their screens. 

Beyond accessibility, the widespread habit of watching videos on the phone in public places or shared living spaces has also contributed to the reliance on text. Video captions and subtitles are employed to overcome external noises and substitute or amplify the audio quality.

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Subtitled Streaming: Not So Niche Anymore

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Where captions used to be the domain of live news and subtitles helped identify an indie movie from a glance, the on-screen text is gradually becoming our norm. Research shows that audiences perceive actors speaking faster and mumbling more. Viewers are also exposed to more diverse accents than ever, even within the English-language continuum. Celebrated shows like Derby Girls and Downton Abbey often require captions, even as the audiences’ familiarity with diverse pronunciation, enunciation, and vocabulary grows. 

Audio quality is another key variable: as high-quality technology is mainstreamed throughout movie theaters and homes, movie producers order calibration for large-scale sound tech from their sound engineers. This comes at a loss for owners of modest sound systems.

Still, movie production is guided by regulations such as the FCC requirements. The variance in audio quality on streaming platforms compared to traditional TV has led to a significant increase in the use of captions, with 2 out of 3 viewers using captions more on streaming platforms than when watching TV. This shift underscores the non-negotiable role of captions and subtitles in meeting audience needs.

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Game-changing Global Shows

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The proliferation of subtitles is determined not only by the growth in global audiences, as platforms like Netflix have established markets across the world. Hype content production in new languages, such as Spanish (Money Heist, Berlin) or Korean (Squid Game, The Glory), has fueled the diversity of audiences. These shows have global promotion budgets and therefore need to reach English-speaking audiences and those who want to consume trending shows in their own regional and preferred languages. Subtitles again emerge as a crucial element of localization strategies.

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What Is This Text on My Screen?

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When considering video content accessibility for diverse and global audiences, closed captions and subtitles offer distinct solutions. Originally designed for those with hearing loss, closed captions provide a textual representation of not only spoken words but also background noises and sounds. Of note, this audience segment is important to reach: according to the WHO, over 5% of the world’s population experience disabling hearing loss. Captions are an accepted solution and a “guarantee of equitable access”, required by policies such as the ADA and WCAG3. 

Closed captions are a descriptive textual record of the audio track, meaning not only the words but also the noises and sounds that are heard in the background. “Closed” in the term references how the captions are not embedded in the video and could be turned off as needed. “Open captions” are built into the video and can not be removed. Captions are often generated automatically, synched to the pace of the speakers, so they are rolling on screen in real time. This is the key difference from a video transcript, which may describe the video but not be available for view simultaneously. Creators often use transcripts to generate captions, unless their platform of choice offers an AI captioning solution, which is the case with YouTube. 

Subtitles are the common textual solution to localization, in service of the global definition of video accessibility. These are transcripted translations of the spoken audio, rarely if ever noting other sounds. Video or film subtitles are favored by viewers who may not speak the original video language, don’t speak it fluently, or are language learners. YouTube subtitles and subtitles on other innovative platforms can be auto-generated or edited together by the creator.

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Closed Captions Vs. Subtitles

Closed captions and subtitles are different tools, and the choice depends on the content creator’s or distributor’s objective. 

Captioning is useful for audiences with disabilities or disorders related to concentration, but is also universally adopted when viewing content in public and shared spaces on one’s phone. Captions enhance concentration and ensure that viewers keep watching the video for longer. For instance, Meta references internal research showing that captioning video ads increased their viewing time on average by up to 12%. For content creators and others, captions are also essential because they allow search engines to index and rank the video higher.

Unlike captions, subtitles localize the video and transcribe the spoken dialogue, allowing the content to reach wider and global audiences. Video subtitles may be generated by translating the original’s captions or script into a variety of target languages to suit the untapped markets. 

In conclusion, the integration of AI solutions for closed captioning and subtitling is instrumental in enhancing access to videos for diverse global audiences. With a growing demand for diverse media, quick adaptation and localization of original video material is an industry challenge with reliable solutions. AI-powered solutions provide a cost-effective, quick, and innovative response to this evolving need.

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