New US Bill May Make Web Video Captions Mandatory For Broadcasters

As more and more networks are beginning to broadcast their television shows online it has become evident that closed captions are imperative, not only to cater to individuals that are hard of hearing but also to make it easier for viewers with English as a second language. Deaf viewers have been pushing for closed captions online for quite some time now, and if the United States government has anything to say about it, captions could become mandatory for all television shows on the web. Last week the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009, also known simply as H.R. 3101, passed the House and has now been introduced in the US Senate. H.R. 3101, if passed into law, will require all broadcasters to caption online programming that aired previously on television. The bill was submitted by Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and for starters would affect only television content and not video content that is posted solely online. According to NewTeeVee, broadcasters would not be required to caption all of their online video content immediately. There would be a schedule imposed about exactly when closed captions would need to be implemented. However, the very fact that the bill is in the process of being passed into law means that broadcasters need to begin thinking about captioning all of their content. The truth of the matter is, whether or not this bill is passed it should still be a priority for broadcasters to caption all of their content in order to reach as wide an audience as possible and not discriminate against deaf viewers. Matt Knopf, VP of business development at Plymedia, told NewTeeVee about the importance of captioning, regardless of H.R. 3101. He said, "It's not just about doing the right thing." Captions don't only make things easier for viewers, they also help creators monetize their content because the transcripts make the videos searchable and entice viewers into watching for longer. If you are an online video content creator you won't be responsible for captions unless your content was released on television before you put it on the web. However, as we move forward I think we will find that captioning online video content will become more and more necessary. You can caption your content on your own, or go to a professional caption vendor to caption your content for you. If you are an online video publisher do you currently caption all of your content? Do you think H.R. 3101 will pass and, whether or not it does, do you think we will see a lot more online video captions in the near future?

Social Pro Daily

New US Bill May Make Web Video Captions Mandatory For Broadcasters

Megan O'Neill

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Megan O'Neill