NetFlix & Closed Captioning

Let’s consider an example: Netflix felt it was dealt a blow when a Federal Judge mandated that their online streaming content come with Closed Caption transcriptions. For some time Netflix has been avoiding the difficult reality of having to expense post-production transcription and closed captioning for its content; arguing  that the ADA requests are limited to physical structures and not virtual ones.

The Judge had a different view, pointing out that fairness is not be limited to the physical space, and instead includes in the virtual – where commercial traffic is increasing.

“By recognizing that websites are covered by the ADA, the court has ensured that the ADA stays relevant as much of our society moves from Main Street to the Internet,” said Arlene Myerson of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in Berkeley, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Netflix was left scrambling, but it should see this as an opportunity.

Why Closed Captioning is an Opportunity?

The FCC has for some time required that video content come with closed captioning for the deaf or hard of hearing. This was specific to television programs, while ignoring online video.  However, with a staggering amount of videos uploaded online (approximately 72 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute), the FCC and ADA realized it cannot ignore the online space.

The ability of the ADA to enforce non-discrimination in the virtual space has took a giant leap forward in 2010, when President Barrack Obama signed Bill S.3304 into

law, allowing the ADA to require closed captioning.

While some networks are struggling to find affordable solutions which they can implement by the 2014 deadline, others are preempting legal and social scrutiny by offering closed captioning now.

But another reason for their activity stands out: leading networks are finding that transcription allows them to analyze, search and share their audio more effectively. Some are building content libraries and partnering to monetize these past-productions. Others are using the data for market research, to tailor their shows and share content via social media (an increasingly effective advertizing platform).

As Mike Mothner, CEO of Wpromote notes, “associating transcripts with your video is a key step in unlocking the content otherwise stuck inside of your great video content.”

There are significant top-line advantages to making video content more accessible. Now the production market just has to find a service provider which can deliver at the right price.

Written By Chirag Ahuja

The post Closed Captioning: An Opportunity for Content Producers? appeared first on TranscribeMe.

Because advertising, also known as “podvertising,” has been a major source of revenue for the podcast industry to stay in business, publishers understand that without the ad support, building a strong fan base will take time. Publishers have to realize that their customers are also on a mission to find a podcast that will fulfill their needs while sacrificing the least time possible. You might say grouping podcasts into their desired topics will help tailor a customer’s interest.

Won’t it?

Unfortunately, social media, iPhones, and the latest tech gadgets are cutting everyone’s attention span as the days go by, so a podcast publisher needs to catch the attention of their audience with speed, accuracy and integration ease.

A podcast publisher can greatly improve their business top down by making one simple adjustment. That would be transcribing their audio into transcription files that are then made available to download free, or included with a premium service. Once a publisher makes the decision to implement this type of service, immediately a few key business drivers are now in their favor.

By making a transcription available of the audio, search engine optimization will lead to better indexing, which increases search traffic and visitors to the website. For all the publishers that keep up to date with their website analytics, take my word, you will notice a spike in website impressions and warmer customers directed toward you.

Have you noticed that subconsciously we all tend to share interesting articles, empowering author quotes, or essentially anything that can be copied and pasted because we have the ability to leverage our connections through social media?

In reality, the information we can take in through reading transcription compared to listening is much faster. By commissioning downloadable transcription files, publishers instantly make themselves available to a much wider audience of potential customers. For example, the entire hearing impaired community will now have access to your information whenever new episodes are released. An audience on a global scale is reached because keeping up with an audio file, if English is not the listener’s first language, is difficult. Transcription gives customers’ a choice to engage in the podcast in whatever way makes them feel comfortable.

So what am I trying to say, just in case your news feed took your attention away for a brief second, is that podcast transcription is the most simple and effective action publishers can make available for their fan base and potential customers. If you really think about it, publishers have nothing to lose but everything to gain when they understand what transcription will do for their future business. A huge new wave of podcast customers will hit the industry during the next year and there is no better way to stand out from the masses than having your podcast transcribed.

Written by Daniel Lee

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

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