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• Legislation & Compliance

A University Guide to Budgeting and Auditing for ADA Video Compliance

Noah Pearson

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November 19, 2025

Download Our ADA Title II Compliance Checklist

With the April 2026 ADA Title II compliance deadline fast approaching, public colleges and universities must ensure that all programs, services, and digital materials are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Because video content plays such a central role in modern learning and can be especially challenging to make accessible, it’s essential for institutions to take a proactive approach to remediation.

Challenges around ADA video compliance include creating accurate captions, adding audio descriptions, and providing properly formatted transcripts for students who rely on assistive technologies.

Institutions now face the dual challenge of auditing existing content and budgeting effectively for accessible media. This guide will walk universities through the key steps to plan, budget, and audit video content, helping them meet compliance requirements while fostering a more equitable learning environment.

Key Takeaways

• Start early: Audit all video and digital content now to meet upcoming Title II deadlines in April 2026.
• Plan strategically: Categorize content and build a budget that covers both backlog and ongoing accessibility needs.
• Leverage the right tools: Use 3Play Media’s captioning, transcription, and audio description to simplify compliance and ensure inclusion.

Table of Contents

• The Countdown to ADA Video Compliance
• Phase 1: Conducting a Content Audit
• Phase 2: Building a Budget for Title II Compliance
• Summary Action Plan
• What’s Next?
• ADA Video Compliance FAQs

The Countdown to ADA Video Compliance

With the Department of Justice’s new regulations taking effect in 2026, institutions are now facing a clear mandate: make all digital and video content accessible to individuals with disabilities.

But beyond compliance, this moment offers higher education a chance to redefine what equitable access looks like in the digital classroom, ensuring that every student can fully engage with online learning and communications.

What is Title II?

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all public entities (including state and local governments, public colleges, and universities) to ensure that their programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

In the digital age, this includes online and multimedia content such as videos, course materials, and virtual events. Whether a lecture is streamed live, archived in an LMS, or shared publicly on YouTube, it must be made accessible through tools like captions, transcripts, and audio description.

To meet compliance standards, universities are expected to align their digital content with WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines, which provide internationally recognized standards for making web and video content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.

Simply put: Title II extends the same accessibility expectations that exist for physical spaces to the digital spaces where learning and communication now happen every day.

Free Resources

Title II Compliance Checklist

Download this checklist for a comprehensive breakdown of Title II requirements, an example timeline for compliance, a systematic guide to tackling content backlogs, and more!

Download the Checklist

Why ADA Video Compliance Matters for Higher Education

ADA Title II marks an important shift in how universities approach accessibility. Instead of waiting for individual students to request accommodations, the new ruling requires institutions to proactively ensure that digital and video content is accessible from the start.

According to the CDC, 15.7% of US adults have difficulty hearing, and 18.0% have difficulty seeing, highlighting the need for a proactive approach to accessibility.

This legislation helps not only those who identify as having a disability, but also the millions of people who don’t consider themselves disabled and wouldn’t think to request an accommodation, but would benefit from accessibility features.

It also reduces the burden on disability services teams and faculty who often scramble to retrofit content and creates a more consistent, inclusive experience for all learners.

By embedding accessibility into everyday workflows, universities can support students more effectively, minimize legal risk, and build a campus culture centered on equity rather than exceptions.

Upcoming Title II Deadlines

Here’s a breakdown of the Title II deadlines:

Important note: These deadlines apply to existing content, not just new uploads. That means auditing, remediation, staffing, and budgeting all need to begin now to meet the timeline.

Phase 1: Conducting a Content Audit

Before creating a budget, it’s essential to understand the full scope of content that requires remediation. For large universities, the total amount of video needing captions and audio descriptions can easily reach millions of minutes.

Knowing the scope is crucial for institutions estimate costs accurately and allocate resources effectively.

We’ll now cover the steps you need to take to efficiently audit your content.

1. Assemble a Compliance Team

The first step in auditing content for Title II compliance is to bring together a dedicated compliance team. Accessibility is not just an IT or disability services issue, it requires collaboration across multiple departments.

A strong team typically includes representatives from:

• Disability services – to provide expertise on student needs and compliance requirements
• IT and media services – to manage technical implementation of captions, transcripts, and accessible video players
• Faculty or instructional designers – to make sure course content is accessible while maintaining effective teaching and learning outcomes.
• Legal or compliance officers – to advise on regulatory obligations and documentation

• Administrative leadership – to oversee budgeting, resource allocation, and cross-department coordination

Clearly defining roles and responsibilities at the outset ensures that everyone knows their part in the process. This collaborative approach also helps universities respond efficiently to accessibility gaps and streamline remediation efforts.

2. Conduct a Video Content Inventory

Once your compliance team is in place, the next step is to identify and catalog all video assets across the university. Conducting a thorough content inventory provides a clear picture of what exists, where accessibility gaps may lie, and how much content will require remediation — critical information for budgeting and planning.

Key steps for an effective content inventory include:

• Identify all content sources: Look across learning management systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc.), public websites, online video platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), social media channels, video libraries, archived lectures, virtual events, and webinars. Don’t forget embedded third-party content, such as guest lectures, vendor videos, or integrated learning tools.
• Categorize content by type and format: Note whether videos are live-streamed, recorded lectures, short clips, or multimedia presentations. This helps determine the specific accessibility services required, which we will expand on in step #3.
• Record ownership and usage: Track who owns the content, how often it is used, and which courses or departments rely on it. This information helps prioritize remediation efforts and assign responsibilities.
• Flag high-priority assets: Identify videos that are essential for student learning, public-facing, or frequently accessed. These should be addressed first to minimize compliance risk and maximize impact.
• Centralize documentation: Maintain a single, organized record of all content, including file locations, formats, accessibility status, and notes on remediation needs. This centralized inventory supports ongoing compliance tracking and reporting.

3. Assess Accessibility of Each Asset

After completing your content inventory, the next step is to categorize each video asset based on the accessibility features it requires. This helps universities prioritize remediation and allocate resources efficiently.

Key elements to review during an accessibility assessment include:

• Captions: All spoken content should have synchronized captions that identify speakers and include important non-speech sounds.
• Audio Descriptions: Videos with critical visual information should include audio descriptions for students who are blind or have low vision.
• Transcripts: Provide complete, screen reader–friendly transcripts that serve as a text alternative for all audio and visual content.
• Video Player Accessibility: Ensure players are compatible with assistive technologies and support keyboard navigation, screen readers, and adjustable playback features.
• Third-Party Content: Review external videos and embedded tools to confirm accessibility, and coordinate with vendors to obtain captions, transcripts, or audio descriptions if needed.

Tools to Conduct an Accessibility Audit

Conducting an audit can be done with manual review and automated tools to increase efficiency. Combining the two helps universities find obvious accessibility problems quickly while also checking harder-to-spot issues, like complex visuals.

Automated Accessibility Tools

These tools quickly scan websites, LMS platforms, and video content to detect common accessibility issues such as missing captions, poor color contrast, or inaccessible headings.

Examples include WAVE, Siteimprove, Axe, and SortSite, which provide detailed reports and recommendations for fixes.

There are also LMS-native tools designed specifically to scan course content for accessibility issues. Examples include:

• Blackboard Ally — integrates with multiple LLMs including Blackboard Learn, Canvas, and Moodle
• UDOIT (Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool) — Canvas’ built-in accessibility tool
• Moodle’s Accessibility Starter Toolkit — Moodle’s built-in accessibility tool

While automated tools are efficient, they cannot catch all issues, especially nuanced content like complex diagrams, animations, or context-dependent visual information.

Manual Review

This includes checking captions for accuracy, reviewing audio descriptions, testing video players with screen readers, and ensuring transcripts are readable and properly formatted.

Human review is essential for verifying that content meets accessibility standards and is usable by students with disabilities.

Faculty or instructional designers can also check whether the content is easy for students to understand and use.

Phase 2: Building a Budget for Title II Compliance

Once the initial audit has quantified your compliance debt, the next crucial step is translating those minutes into a sustainable financial plan. This plan must address both the cost of fixing existing content and the cost of maintaining compliance for new content going forward.

A. Cost Modeling: Vendor vs. In-House

The first decision in budgeting is determining your primary fulfillment strategy. The costs associated with each model are calculated differently and have different risks.

1. Vendor Model (e.g., 3Play Media)

This is the most straightforward and reliable approach for meeting regulatory requirements.

• Cost Metric: Cost Per Minute (CPM).
• Budget Calculation: (Total Minutes from Audit) x (Vendor CPM Rate) = Total Remediation Cost.
• Pros:
  • Guaranteed Accuracy: Vendors can support the specific accuracy requirements you have across different video formats.
  • Scalability: Ability to handle large batches of content quickly, reducing the timeline for compliance.
  • Turnaround Time: Faster processing, often within 24-48 hours, essential for course materials.
• Cons: Requires dedicated funding commitment.

2. In-House Model

This involves using internal staff (e.g., student workers, instructional designers) to handle captioning and transcription.

• Cost Metric: Fully Loaded Staff Hour Rate (Salary + Benefits + Overhead).
• Budget Calculation: (Total Minutes from Audit) x (Estimated Minutes per Hour for Manual Work) x (Staff Hour Rate) = Total In-House Cost.
  • Note: Manual captioning/transcription often takes 5 to 10 times the video length.
• Pros: Seemingly lower upfront cost.
• Cons:
  • Hidden Costs: High staff turnover, training overhead, and critical quality assurance (QA) needed to ensure 99% accuracy.
  • Risk: Quality issues can still expose the institution to legal risk.

Recommendation: Use a reliable vendor for all high-priority, public-facing, and academic content where accuracy is non-negotiable. Only use in-house resources for quality review or very low-stakes internal materials.

B. Identifying Budget Components

Your annual compliance budget should be structured around two primary cost buckets to ensure completeness:

Remediation Costs (One-Time / Project-Based)

This budget is solely for tackling the existing backlog identified in the audit. It should be treated as a project with a defined scope and timeline (e.g., a 12-to-24 month remediation window).

• Example: $50,000 to caption the 5,000 minutes of high-risk archival lectures.

Ongoing Production Costs (Annual / Sustained)

This is the most critical component for future-proofing compliance. It covers the cost of captioning every new video created during the fiscal year. This cost is ideally estimated based on historical trends (e.g., “The university produces approximately 1,200 new hours of video annually”).

• Example: Allocating $40,000 annually for new credit-bearing course videos.

C. Funding Strategies: Centralized vs. Decentralized

How the budget is managed and sourced determines the success and consistency of your compliance efforts.

D. Leveraging Dynamic Accuracy for Efficiency

Traditional compliance budgeting is a trade-off: either you risk non-compliance with cheap automated captioning, or you budget heavily for human captioning on everything.

3Play Media offers a way to eliminate this “all or nothing” dilemma by leveraging data science to manage risk and budget simultaneously.

The Predicted Caption Accuracy model allows a university to drastically reduce expenditure on human services without sacrificing captioning compliance quality.

1. Universal Screening: All video content (new and backlog) is first run through an AI engine to generate initial captions.
2. Risk Quantification: Instead of delivering just a machine transcript, the process generates a data-driven Accuracy Score for each video file. This score indicates the probability that the AI captions meet or exceed a set compliance threshold.
3. Targeted Upgrade: The university defines its minimum required accuracy (e.g., 90% for a low-risk internal video, 99% for a credit-bearing lecture). Only those specific video files whose score fails to meet that internal threshold are automatically routed for a human quality review or full edit.

3Play’s dynamic approach means your budget is no longer wasted paying for human editors to review videos the AI already nailed.

Instead, you pay for human services only where the risk of non-compliance is demonstrably high, enabling maximum efficiency within your allocated compliance funds.

Summary Action Plan

The budgeting phase is complete when you can present a clear, defensible financial plan to executive leadership. Use the following action items to bridge your audit data with your final budget request:

1. Quantify the Total Compliance Debt

The audit’s final tally of non-compliant minutes is the core of your budget request. Present this to leadership not as a list of failures, but as the total scope of work (SOW) required to mitigate legal risk.

• Action: Calculate the total number of minutes that require remediation (High Priority + Medium Priority content).
• Result: A clear, quantifiable SOW (e.g., “The institution has a compliance debt of 15,000 minutes of lecture content and 3,000 minutes of public-facing media.”).

2. Establish Minimum Accuracy Thresholds

Not all video carries the same legal or academic risk. Applying the concept of dynamic accuracy allows you to set variable service requirements, which dramatically optimizes costs.

• Action: Define accuracy requirements based on content type.
• Example:
  • 99% Accuracy (Human Service): Mandatory for credit-bearing courses, official commencement, executive statements, and mandatory HR training.
  • 90% Accuracy (Machine + Light Review): Acceptable for departmental archives, non-essential internal announcements, and faculty self-produced content.
• Result: A policy document that justifies different price points for different video types, ensuring you only pay for human-level services where legally necessary.

3. Create a Two-Part Financial Request

To ensure long-term sustainability, separate the budget request into two distinct categories. This prevents the ongoing problem of compliance debt continuing to accumulate.

Part 1: Remediation Budget (One-Time): A project-based budget dedicated only to clearing the existing compliance debt identified in the audit. This should be a large, fixed sum requested once.

Part 2: Production Budget (Annual/Sustained): An operating expense budget dedicated to captioning all new content created this year and every year thereafter. This prevents future compliance backlogs.

What’s Next?

Preparing for ADA Title II compliance may feel overwhelming, but with the right strategy and tools in place, universities can move from reactive fixes to a sustainable, proactive approach to accessibility.

By auditing your content and building a realistic budget, you create a strong foundation for long-term inclusion and smoother compliance workflows.

We have several Title II resources such as our Title II Compliance Checklist and our Title II Video Compliance 101 webinar that can help you in this process. See all of our Title II resources.

3Play Media also offers key services that directly support the core requirements of video accessibility under Title II:

• Captioning: Our captioning solutions are built for accuracy, speaker identification, and correct timing to meet WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA requirements.
• Audio Description: We provide high-quality, AI-enabled audio description that helps you meet Title II requirements while scaling affordably to match your volume. AI-enabled audio description that ensure you achieve Title II compliance while affordably scaling to meet your needs.

As the Title II deadlines approach, having an experienced accessibility partner can make all the difference. With 3Play Media, universities gain the tools and expertise needed to build a more inclusive, compliant, and student-centered digital environment.

Chat with a member of our team to see if 3Play is a good fit for your institution:

ADA Video Compliance FAQs

About the author

Noah Pearson

As a marketing specialist with 3Play Media, Noah specializes in accessibility and localization content creation, leveraging his technology expertise to help organizations expand their global reach and create a more inclusive digital experience.

The post A University Guide to Budgeting and Auditing for ADA Video Compliance appeared first on 3Play Media.

Blog

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• Legislation & Compliance

Everything to Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Video Compliance

3Play Media

•

November 6, 2025

Free eBook: How the ADA Impacts Online Video Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the most far-reaching piece of accessibility legislation in the United States. However, because the ADA was first introduced in 1990, it did not specifically address digital or web accessibility…until now.

Fast forward to April 2024, 34 years after its introduction into U.S. law, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced that they would publish “a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the accessibility of web content and mobile applications (apps) for people with disabilities.”

So what does ADA video compliance entail?

In this blog, we’ll give you a high-level overview of the ADA, explore how Titles II and III of the ADA apply to web accessibility, learn what the DOJ’s new rule means, and share tips for making your videos accessible and ADA-compliant.

Key Takeaways

• ADA video compliance ensures equal access through captions, audio descriptions, and accessible players.
• The DOJ’s 2024 rule requires public institutions to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA for all web and video content.
• Public universities must prepare now to meet 2026–2027 deadlines and maintain ongoing accessibility.

Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Enacted in 1990, this civil rights statute was created to limit discriminatory practices towards individuals with disabilities. This act and its amendments guarantee equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation.

Both public and private entities are affected by the ADA–it is the responsibility of these entities to provide equal access through accommodations to suit a disabled individual’s needs.

Disabilities covered under the ADA can be physical (e.g., muscular dystrophy, dwarfism, etc.), sensory (e.g., blindness, D/deafness, deaf-blindness), or cognitive (e.g., Down Syndrome).

In 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act broadened the scope of how disability is legally defined: psychological, emotional, and physiological conditions are now included.

The Americans with Disabilities Act consists of five sections overseeing different aspects of life and an individual’s engagement with society:

• Title I: Employment
• Title II: Public Entities
• Title III: Public Accommodations
• Title IV: Telecommunications
• Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions

Free eBook

How the ADA Impacts Online Video Accessibility

This eBook is a comprehensive guide to ADA video accessibility, covering legal requirements, key accessibility components, and the consequences of noncompliance for digital content creators.

Download the eBook

ADA Compliance for Videos

The ADA considers captioning and audio description to be “auxiliary aids” in communication. “Auxiliary aids” are assistive technology, services, or devices for people with disabilities, allowing equal access to goods or services provided to the public.

Captions and audio description are examples of assistive technology that help make online and broadcasted videos accessible.

The recent new rule under Title II of the ADA lists web video captioning as a requirement for state and local government entities (including public schools and universities). Private entities are not yet affected, but the rule sets new precedence for web video accessibility and supports previous ADA lawsuit outcomes. 

Both Title II and Title III of the ADA have been interpreted to apply to web accessibility and video captioning in various ADA-based lawsuits over the past couple of decades. Let’s take a closer look at these Titles to discover how they’re used.

ADA Title II: State and Local Public Entities Must Be Accessible

Title II prohibits disability discrimination by all public entities at the federal, state, and local level. For example, public colleges and universities, schools, courts, police departments, and public libraries must comply with Title II. Compliance is required regardless of whether they receive federal funding.

Title II mandates that state and local governments:

• May not refuse to allow a person with a disability to participate in a service, program, or activity simply because the person has a disability.
• Must provide programs and services in an integrated setting, unless separate or different measures are necessary to ensure equal opportunity.
• Must furnish auxiliary aids and services when necessary to ensure effective communication, unless an undue burden or fundamental alteration would result.
• Must operate programs so that, when viewed in their entirety, they are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

Websites for public entities should also be fully accessible to users who are D/deaf, blind or have limited dexterity.

Under Title II, publicly available videos, whether for entertainment or informational use, must be made accessible to individuals with disabilities. That means including captions on videos both in person and online so that people who are D/deaf or hard of hearing can access public services.

Title II also applies to employment in public entities, meaning disabled employees must not be barred from performing responsibilities because of inaccessible processes or procedures. State and local entities need to caption videos for internal communication and training, as well as public-facing material.

ADA Compliance in Higher Education: Final Ruling

The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final rule on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides much-needed clarity for public universities, community colleges, and other state or local government entities regarding web content and mobile app accessibility.

The rule, finalized in April 2024 and effective June 24, 2024, establishes WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the official standard for accessible digital content, with compliance deadlines set for 2026 or 2027 depending on the population of the local government.

This rule requires higher education institutions to ensure that their websites, mobile apps, and all digital educational content meet specific accessibility standards. Key video requirements under WCAG 2.1 include:

• Pre-recorded video captions (1.2.2): All pre-recorded videos must include accurate, synchronized captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.
• Audio-only transcripts (1.2.3): Text alternatives must be provided for all audio-only content.
• Live captions (1.2.4): Live audio content in synchronized media must include captions.
• Audio descriptions (1.2.5): Pre-recorded videos must include audio description tracks that convey important visual information for blind or low-vision users.

Learn more about WCAG requirements by downloading our free eBook: A Practical Guide 
to WCAG Video Accessibility Requirements.

Title II Compliance Deadlines

Compliance deadlines vary by population size:

• April 24, 2026 for public entities in areas with populations of 50,000 or more
• April 26, 2027 for smaller entities with populations under 50,000

Institutions should reference the local population (not student body size) using 2020 U.S. Census data.

Limited exceptions exist for archived web content and preexisting social media posts, but password-protected content is not exempt and must also meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards within the compliance window.

To prepare, institutions should:

1. Familiarize themselves with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
2. Audit existing web and mobile content for captions, audio descriptions, and accessibility of interactive elements.
3. Ensure that vendor-provided content also complies, as ADA obligations extend to content obtained through licensing, contracts, or other third-party arrangements.

Working with an experienced accessibility vendor like 3Play Media can simplify the process, helping your institution meet compliance efficiently while creating an inclusive digital learning environment for all students.

Free Resource

ADA Title II Compliance Checklist

This checklist is an actionable roadmap to help public colleges, universities, and other entities meet the April 2026 ADA Title II compliance deadline, with step-by-step guidance on audits, timelines, team building, and remediation planning.

Download the Checklist

ADA Title III: Places of Public Accommodation

Commercial entities – such as hotels, libraries, museums, train stations, airports, restaurants, movie theaters, retail stores, and hospitals – are covered by Title III of the ADA.

Under Title III, no individual may be discriminated against on the basis of disability with regards to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods and services at any place of public accommodation.

What is a Place of Public Accommodation?

The three criteria of a “place of public accommodation” are:

• It must be operated by a private entity
• Its operations must affect commerce
• It must fall within one of the following 12 categories

12 Categories of Public Accommodation

1. Places of lodging.
2. Establishments serving food or drink.
3. Places of exhibition or entertainment.
4. Places of public gathering.
5. Sales or rental establishments.
6. Service establishments.
7. Stations used for specified public transportation.
8. Places of public display or collection.
9. Places of recreation.
10. Places of education.
11. Social service center establishments.
12. Places of exercise or recreation.

For a more detailed list of the organizations that fall under ‘place of public accommodations,’ check the ADA’s definition section.

Does the ADA Title III Apply to Online Businesses?

Before the internet became so ubiquitous, it was assumed that the ADA applied only to physical structures. But because the law didn’t specifically state whether it applied to brick-and-mortar vs. digital “places,” it became open to interpretation.

A string of high-profile lawsuits against private companies for inaccessible websites, web services, or digital communications, has created a precedent that the ADA applies to the internet. 

This precedent has only strengthened over time, with UsableNet reporting an increase in web accessibility lawsuits against private organizations annually, and the DOJ’s recent rule mandating digital accessibility rules for Title II, which covers state and government entities.

Let’s take a look at a few important disability discrimination lawsuits to get a sense of how the ADA has historically been interpreted to apply to the web.

ADA Lawsuits on Web Accessibility

NFB v. Target and EEOC & NAD v. FedEx

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) sued Target Corporation over its public retail website in 2006. The NFB claimed that blind people were unable to access much of the information on Target’s site and could not purchase anything independently.

The NFB and Target Corporation reached a settlement in 2008 and was one of the first major cases that helped define the relationship between the internet and the ADA.

FedEx was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in 2014. The suit alleged failure to provide ASL interpreters, closed captioning for training videos, and modifications to equipment. In 2020, FedEx settled with the EEOC under a Consent Decree.

NAD v. Netflix

In 2010, Netflix was sued by the NAD for discriminating against D/deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers due to insufficient closed captions.

This marked the first interpretation of the ADA applying to online-only businesses. In 2012, Netflix settled by agreeing to caption all content retroactively and going forward. The settlement leaves room for debate on ADA application to online-only businesses.

Similar lawsuits were brought against streaming giants Hulu and Amazon a few years later.

NAD v. Harvard and MIT

In 2015, the NAD sued Harvard and MIT over concerns that the universities were not providing equal access to online programming for students with disabilities. The NAD cited violations of the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act.

Notably, these lawsuits were the first of their kind to address the accuracy and quality of the captions provided. 

In 2019, the NAD and Harvard came to an agreement through a Consent Decree that establishes captioning guidelines, citing 3Play Media’s high accuracy as an example. The NAD and MIT settled in 2020 under a similar agreement.

Department of Justice (DOJ) & NAD vs. UC Berkeley

The NAD filed a complaint in 2014 against UC Berkeley, citing the lack of closed captions in its online courses and content.

The DOJ validated the complaint and required UC Berkeley to rectify ADA violations, leading to an investigation that broadened to encompass overall media and web accessibility for all learners.

In 2022, UC Berkeley and the Department of Justice (DOJ) reached an agreement regarding the accessibility of the university’s online content, ensuring its free online content is accessible to learners with a range of disabilities.

How to Implement ADA-Compliant Video Accessibility

Understanding the legal requirements is one thing. Putting them into practice is another. To create truly accessible video content that meets ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA standards, organizations should focus on three key implementation areas: captions, audio descriptions, and player accessibility.

1. Add Accurate Captions

Captions make videos accessible for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and they benefit everyone who watches without sound.

• Pre-recorded content: Include closed captions that accurately reflect all spoken dialogue and relevant sounds (like [applause], [music], or [doorbell rings]).
• Live content: Provide live captions for live streams, webinars, and broadcasts.
• Quality matters: Captions must be accurate, complete, synchronized with speech, and properly positioned on-screen. Automatic captions can be a helpful starting point, but they should always be reviewed and corrected for accuracy.

Learn more about 3Play Media’s 99% accurate captioning solutions.

2. Include Audio Descriptions

Audio descriptions provide a spoken narration of important visual information, like actions, on-screen text, or scene changes, for people who are blind or have low vision.

• Plan during production: Write your script with accessibility in mind, leaving pauses for audio description where possible.
• Create a description track: Record a secondary audio track that describes the visual elements of your video.
• Add it to your media player: Many platforms and players support multiple audio tracks so users can enable descriptions as needed.

Learn about our AI-enabled, human-perfected audio description solutions.

3. Ensure Video Player Accessibility

An accessible video player is just as important as the video itself. Users with motor disabilities, blindness, or low vision must be able to navigate and control playback with assistive technologies.

Check that your player:

• Can be operated with a keyboard (using Tab, Enter, Space, or arrow keys).
• Displays visible focus indicators for all controls.
• Works properly with screen readers and supports captions and audio description toggles.
• Has sufficient contrast for control icons and text.

3Play Media’s Accessible Video Player

4. Test and Verify Accessibility

Testing ensures your accessibility efforts actually work as intended.

• Manual testing: Play the video using only a keyboard to confirm all controls are accessible.
• Assistive tech testing: Use screen readers (like NVDA or VoiceOver) to verify that captions and descriptions are announced properly.
• Automated tools: Run your video page through accessibility checker tools to catch missing attributes or color contrast issues.

5. Maintain Accessibility Over Time

Accessibility isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Review new video uploads regularly, update old content, and include accessibility checks in your publishing workflow.

3Play Media’s ADA Compliance Services

Ensuring your videos meet ADA Title II requirements can feel complex, but 3Play Media makes accessibility simple and scalable.

Our full-service solutions combine advanced AI technology with expert human review to provide highly accurate closed captions, audio descriptions, and more for all your web and mobile video content.

• Caption all pre-recorded and live video content to meet legal requirements for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.

• Add audio descriptions that convey important visual information for blind or low-vision audiences.
• Ensure accessible media players that work with keyboard navigation, screen readers, and other assistive technologies.
• Dedicated Customer Support—Our accessibility experts provide personalized guidance and ongoing support to help you navigate ADA Title II compliance every step of the way.

Whether you’re a public university, community college, or state agency, 3Play Media helps you meet ADA Title II deadlines efficiently while creating an inclusive digital experience for all learners.

Schedule a consultation with our team to discover how we can fast-track your path to Title II compliance:

ADA Video Compliance FAQs

About the author

3Play Media

The post Everything to Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Video Compliance appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Subtitling

Subtitling vs. Dubbing: Which is Right for Your Audience?

Jaclyn Lazzari

•

October 20, 2025

Dubbing Checklist

Ultimate Guide to Subtitles

When it comes to watching their favorite foreign language films, many viewers choose between two main viewing options – subtitling vs. dubbing.

These two options are largely dependent on the viewer, where they are from, and their viewing preference. Concisely, this is the difference between dubbing and subtitling:

No matter your preference on the subtitling vs. dubbing debate, as a producer and creator of foreign language video content, it’s important to distinguish between the two and understand which one fits best into your content workflow.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss more of the differences between subtitling vs. dubbing and their respective workflows. Ultimately, you’ll be better equipped with the knowledge to make the most informed decision about which video translation method is right for your organization.

Key Takeaways

• Subtitles show translated text while keeping the original audio, and dubbing replaces the audio with a translated voice track.
• Subtitling is cost-effective and boosts accessibility, while dubbing creates a more immersive and engaging experience.
• Choosing between subtitling and dubbing depends on your audience, content type, and budget.

Infographic

Click here to enlarge.

What is Dubbing?

While some viewers prefer watching videos with subtitles, others prefer following along with the dialogue in their native language.

Although similar, dubbing is not the same as a voiceover, which is used to inform viewers about the story and character and is used for creative storytelling purposes.

Dubbing should fit effortlessly into the video and for the most part, should feel seamless to viewers.

Dubbing Example

Here’s an example of the American television sitcom, Friends, dubbed in German.

Benefits of Dubbing

There are many reasons why viewers prefer to watch videos with dubbing. Some of the benefits include:  

• Portrays the emotion and tone of the original audio 
• Creates an immersive and engaging experience
• Viewers can solely focus on watching the video instead of reading text
• Useful for people who struggle with reading or cannot read 
• Viewers can multitask while listening to the audio 
• Easier to censor explicit content of the original audio

The Downsides of Dubbing

While dubbing offers an immersive viewing experience, it also comes with several drawbacks, including:

• Can be expensive and time-consuming due to translation, voice talent, and post-production needs
• May lose the authenticity and emotional nuance of the original performance
• Can alter or dilute cultural context and meaning
• Requires ongoing quality control to maintain consistency across languages and projects

3Play Media’s AI-enabled dubbing solutions address many of these downsides. By combining AI voices with expert human review allows content creators to vastly reduce costs and save time while maintaining high quality.

With a network of professional linguists worldwide, 3Play can ensure that the translation retain their cultural context and can maintain quality across dozens of languages.

Free Resource

Dubbing Checklist

This checklist provides an overview of key factors to consider when adding voice-over or dubbing to your next project.

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What is Subtitling?

In many parts of the world, like in Europe, the terms subtitles and captions are used interchangeably. However, in the United States we differentiate between the two. 

Subtitling is the process of translating the original audio within a video into another language. Subtitles are a textual representation of the audio and they’re intended for viewers who can hear the audio but cannot understand the language. They solely communicate the spoken language and not other elements like sound effects.

Captions, on the other hand, convey all audio elements, including sound effects, speaker identifications, and non-speech elements. Captions are written in the source language of the video (e.g. if the original audio is in English, the captions are written in English).

Subtitling Example

Here’s an example of a scene from the French film “Amélie” with English subtitles:

Benefits of Subtitling

There are many benefits of subtitling, such as boosting SEO and accessibility for d/Deaf and hard of hearing viewers. and reasons why a viewer might prefer subtitles. Some of them include:

• Preserves the authenticity of the original audio and performances
• Aids in focus and comprehension of the content
• Helps viewers with spelling and grammar
• Makes it easier for viewers to learn another language
• Provides a cost-effective alternative to dubbing for localization 

Downsides of Subtitling

While subtitling is cost-effective and accessible, it also has a few limitations:

• Can distract viewers from visuals by requiring them to read on-screen text
• May not fully capture tone, emotion, or cultural nuances in translation
• Can be challenging for viewers with visual impairments or reading difficulties
• Requires precise timing and formatting to avoid overlapping or hard-to-read subtitles

Free Resource

The Ultimate Guide to Subtitles

This eBook breaks down the different types of subtitles, how they work, and how to choose the right subtitling solution to make your video content more accessible and globally engaging.

Download the Guide

Subtitling vs. Dubbing: The Differences in Viewer Engagement

When it comes to connecting with audiences in their native tongues, preferences for dubbing versus subtitling can vary by country.

A study by Morning Consult revealed that respondents from Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and France largely favored dubbing for foreign language content, suggesting a preference for a more immersive experience.

Conversely, a greater majority of respondents in China, South Korea, India, and Japan expressed a liking for subtitles. This divide highlights the importance of catering to diverse preferences in an increasingly globalized media landscape.

While regional preferences are strong indicators of subtitling versus dubbing, the type of content you produce can influence which format is better for engagement.

In a survey conducted by Preply on viewing habits for entertainment content, 84% of respondents agreed that “subtitles retain the cultural authenticity of the content,” and they preferred to “hear the original actors’ voices and intonations.”

For educational content, for example, dubbing provides a more immersive experience, enhancing the emotional impact and comprehension of the content.

Subtitling vs. Dubbing Quiz

Not sure if subtitling or dubbing is best for your target audience? Take this quiz to find out!

Subtitling vs. Dubbing: The Differences in Workflow

No matter the viewers’ preference, when it comes to the implementation of dubbing vs. subtitles, the two are very different. Before deciding on which is best for your organization, you’ll first want to consider the costs, editing, publishing, and quality.

The Dubbing Workflow

Traditional dubbing is a complex process that typically requires multiple experts and steps.

1. Create a script: You’ll need to translate the dialogue into another language and synchronize the dub with the original language. Experts are recommended, as they’ll ensure the dialogue is accurately translated and synced.
2. Choose voice talent: Traditional dubbing requires voice talent. There are typically voice actors who specialize in dubbing and understand the process.
3. Recording: The recording process requires the most technical expertise and involvement of translation specialists, voice talent, and sound engineers to guarantee success. A professional recording studio with high-quality equipment is recommended.
4. Post-production: Finally, you’ll have to layer the completed dubbed audio track into the video. For this step, you’ll need both a sound and editing expert.
5. Publishing: Ensure the vendor you work with offers a variety of file formats that work for your publishing needs. In some cases, the vendor may be able to publish your content on your behalf.

To save on costs, the dubbing process must be well-planned and executed properly the first time around. If you have to book multiple sessions, it will cost more money, time, and effort.

Traditional dubbing can be an expensive process. According to Bunny Studio, a simple video can cost as much as $75 per minute.

The more complex your video content is, the more you may expect to pay. With traditional dubbing being such an intricate process, the costs make sense – especially if you decide to work with high-quality professionals.

Innovation in Dubbing Solutions

While the process of traditional dubbing can be lengthy, complicated, and costly, new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic voice creation has allowed much innovation in the space of dubbing solutions.

One such solution, AI dubbing or automated dubbing, refers to the process of using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to automatically generate dubbed audio tracks for video content.

This technology analyzes the original dialogue and generates corresponding audio in the desired language.

Due to its automated nature, AI dubbing offers greater flexibility and affordability than traditional dubbing.

However, AI dubbing solutions that only use AI for the entirety of the process often result in quality issues that may negatively impact the end-user experience.

When selecting vendors that offer AI dubbing solutions, be sure that their process involves both humans and AI technology.

An AI dubbing solution that’s driven by humans and supported by AI technology will ensure the best of both worlds – high-quality dubs and lower costs that work within your organization’s budget.

Learn about 3Play’s high-quality and cost-effective AI Dubbing →

The Subtitling Workflow

There are two main ways to create subtitles – the DIY route or translation vendor. Similar to creating captions, subtitling on your own can be a costly and time-consuming process.

The DIY process requires manually transcribing the audio in the original language, which could take 4-5 times longer than the length of the video. It also requires doing the translations on your own, ensuring they’re both accurate and in the same cultural context as the original audio.

With a translation vendor, you’re able to cut down on cost and time, especially if your organization produces a large amount of video content. A good vendor will be able to take on the responsibility of the transcription and translation process and deliver the final output to you or automatically upload it to your video.

The cost of subtitling can vary depending on the process you choose to undergo.

At first glance, the DIY route seems like the cheaper option. However, once your video content needs increase, it becomes exponentially more expensive and harder to maintain quality, consistency, and efficiency. It’s only recommended to DIY your translations when you have a very small quantity of video content.

With a vendor, the cost of translations can range from $10-26 per minute depending on the language. When working with a translation vendor, be sure that the company values quality. Although some vendors are lower in cost, they could be sacrificing accuracy which will ultimately cost more money down the road.

Choosing the Right Option for Your Organization

So, where do you stand on subtitling vs. dubbing? Both certainly offer benefits to your organization and to the viewer experience. Whether your company decides to go with subtitling, dubbing, or a combination of the two, we believe it’s important to empower you with the most essential information to make an informed decision.

3Play Media has provided thousands of our customers with high-quality, accurate localization services. As a one-stop, full-service video accessibility company, 3Play Media offers localization services as a seamless addition to your other video accessibility needs.

Looking to get started with localization services? Our team of experts is here to help:

FAQs

About the author

Jaclyn Lazzari

Jaclyn is a marketing professional at 3Play Media with 7+ years in the video accessibility space. When she’s not at work, she’s exploring coastal New England, baking with seasonal ingredients, or enjoying football Sundays with her family.

The post Subtitling vs. Dubbing: Which is Right for Your Audience? appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Dubbing

What Is Dubbing? Everything You Need to Know About Dubbing Videos

Jaclyn Lazzari

•

October 15, 2025

Download Dubbing Checklist

Dubbing is a common practice in the film and video industry, yet many people are still unsure of exactly what it is. That’s because dubbing preferences vary significantly by country and are shaped by the cultural landscape. It also means that diving into the world of dubbing goes well beyond how it’s made.

In this blog, we’ll discuss the history and cultural aspects of dubbing, what makes it stand out, and how it’s created. Ultimately, we’ll answer the question that has many scratching their heads – exactly what does dubbing mean?

Key Takeaways

• Dubbing connects global audiences. It replaces original dialogue with translated audio for a more immersive, accessible viewing experience.
• Cultural preferences matter. Regions like Germany and France favor dubbing, while others, like the U.S. and U.K., prefer subtitles.
• AI is reshaping dubbing. Human-in-the-loop AI combines automation and native expertise for high-quality, scalable localization.

Free Resource

Dubbing Checklist

This checklist provides an overview of key factors to consider when adding voice-over or dubbing to your next project.

Download

Understanding Dubbing

Dubbing is a vital aspect of globalizing content. It’s a content localization method that allows global audiences to consume media in their native or preferred language.

The dubbing process involves replacing the original dialogue in a film, television show, or short-form video with a translated version in a different language, allowing viewers to hear the dialogue in their preferred language.

Dubbing is different than subtitling, which provides a text representation of the original audio and lets viewers read the dialogue in their native language while still hearing the content’s original language.

Dubbing Examples

If you’re wondering where you can find dubbed content, it’s everywhere. Look no further than your Netflix account. There, you’ll find popular foreign content such as Dark (German), Money Heist (Spanish), and Squid Game (Korean).

All feature English dubs over the original language tracks, allowing English speakers to hear the popular series in their native language.

Here’s an example of the German dub of the TV show Friends (originally produced in English):

So, what is dubbing? Next time someone asks, tell them it’s a powerful way to make video content more accessible to people around the globe.

Dubbing Preferences in the Global Market

Speaking of around the globe, preferences for subtitling vs. dubbing vary internationally.

Unique preferences for dubbing styles differ by region, reflecting cultural norms and audience expectations. Well-executed dubbing seeks to embrace those cultural preferences, enhance audience engagement and immersion, and foster a deeper connection with the story and characters.

What causes the variation in dubbing preferences globally?

A Brief History of Dubbing

Most international dubbing and subtitling preferences were established by the end of World War II and haven’t changed much since.

Beyond economic motivators and historical context, cultural factors such as English language education, viewing preferences, and dubbing availability and quality all impact how people from different countries prefer to engage with foreign content.

At a time where the majority of the world’s popular entertainment came from Hollywood, dubbing established itself as the main method of localizing films for France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

Well-executed dubbing is known for accurately capturing the cultural nuances of language, such as humor and cultural references. This results in a viewing experience that closely mirrors the original language content.

Data from recent years shows us dubbing and subtitling preferences by country.

Countries that prefer dubbing:

• Germany
• Italy
• France
• Brazil
• Spain

Countries that prefer subtitling:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• India
• China
• Japan

Learn about 3Play’s human-in-the-loop AI Dubbing solution

Regardless of cultural expectations, media producers stand much to gain from dubbing and subtitling their content. Utilizing both ensures that you’re catering to global variations in content consumption preferences. In other words, it means you’re broadening your global reach.

The Dubbing Process

Dubbing involves translating the original script, casting voice actors, recording dialogue, and syncing it with the video to ensure accuracy and synchronization. It should fit seamlessly into the video, feel natural, and deliver an immersive experience for viewers.

The key to a successful dubbing output is to portray the emotion and tone of the original audio. Creating traditional dubbing tracks requires extensive planning to create a quality result.

Traditional Dubbing and Other Methods

The traditional dubbing process is an established dubbing method in the media industry. It is often a lengthy, manual, and expensive process, requiring creating a script, hiring voice talent, recording the dubbing track, post-production editing, and publishing.

Traditional dubbing is commonly used for long-form, cinematic content as high-profile production studios often possess the budget, resources, and expertise to produce traditional dubs.

Traditional dubbing isn’t the only way to dub content. The growing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) have introduced innovations and methods for dubbing content.

AI Dubbing or automated dubbing uses advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to automate critical dubbing steps, while also allowing for human oversight. This process ensures a high-quality output at a fraction of the cost.

Both traditional dubbing and AI dubbing are valid options, and there are advantages and challenges to consider for both methods.

Understanding Dubbing Lingo

At this point, we’ve answered the question, “What does dubbing mean?” However, other related dubbing terms will enhance your knowledge of the subject.

The Different Dubbing Types

Dubbing, as a general term, completely replaces the audio track of the original performance with a new language and fully captures the emotion and tone of the original content.

There are a few different types of dubbing: lip-sync dubbing, voice replacement dubbing, and voiceover. While people may use these words interchangeably, they are different.

Voice Replacement Dubbing

Voice replacement dubbing replaces the original audio with a different language. However, it doesn’t perfectly match the mouth movements of the people on screen. Voice replacement dubbing is still well-timed with the original content.

Lip-Sync Dubbing

On the other hand, lip-sync dubbing closely matches lip movements of the people on screen, further enhancing the realism of dubbed content and allowing the viewing experience to feel unimpeded.

Voiceover

Voiceover is when a person is narrating or describing what’s on screen, and it’s clear to the viewer that the voiceover is separate from the audio track. The voiceover can be in the content’s original language or can be translated into another language.

In this scene from Friends, you can hear each of the character’s train of thought in the form of an off-screen voiceover while the character’s actions continue on screen.

Each of these dubbing use cases has their benefits. Choosing voiceover, lip-sync dubbing, or voice replacement dubbing depends on the experience you want to convey to your audience.

AI Dubbing

AI dubbing (a form of AI Localization) utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms to automate certain aspects of the dubbing process, such as synthetic voice creation and translation. It allows for greater affordability and flexibility than traditional dubbing.

One challenge in this space is that solutions that use only AI throughout the entire process yield low-quality dubs more often than not.

As AI usage becomes more prevalent in the AI dubbing space, humans (ideally native speakers) must be part of the language dubbing process for quality and cultural sensitivity purposes.

Human-in-the-Loop Dubbing

Human-in-the-loop is a process used in AI dubbing where AI technology and humans perform jointly to optimize results. Rather than leaving dubbing to the unreliable quality of AI-only solutions, the human-in-the-loop process ensures accurate transcreation.

Transcreation is translating content while maintaining the original intent, style, and tone of the message.

Humans play a crucial role in dubbing by providing artistic interpretation, emotional expression, and quality control throughout the process.

AI dubbing processes that incorporate human-in-the-loop will inevitably provide greater depth and authenticity to dubbed content, capturing the nuances of tone, emotion, and cultural context.

Webinar on Demand

The 3Play Way: AI Dubbing

Discover how 3Play Media’s innovative AI Dubbing solution is revolutionizing video localization by simplifying workflows and providing the best practices needed to create truly accessible and global content.

Watch Now

Dubbing Use Cases by Industry

Dubbing isn’t just for entertainment, it’s a powerful tool for any industry or creator looking to reach global audiences or make content more accessible. Here are some of the key sectors that can benefit:

• Entertainment and Media: From films and TV shows to streaming platforms, dubbing allows studios to connect with audiences worldwide in their native languages, improving viewer engagement and expanding market reach.
• eLearning and Education: Educational institutions, training providers, and online course creators use dubbing to make courses, tutorials, and lectures accessible to international learners. It breaks down language barriers and enables organizations to make their content accessible globally.
• Online Content Creators: YouTubers, podcasters, and influencers can use dubbing to grow their international fan base by offering localized versions of their videos or shows, making their content more discoverable and engaging across different languages and regions.
• Corporate and Training: Global organizations rely on dubbing for internal communications, onboarding videos, and compliance training. Localized audio helps ensure employees across regions understand information clearly and consistently.
• Marketing and Advertising: Brands and content creators can reach new markets by dubbing promotional videos, product demos, and social content into local languages.

The Benefits of Dubbing Your Video Content

Now that we’ve answered the question ‘What is dubbing?” you may be wondering if it’s right for your content. Your viewers will find value in dubbed content for the following reasons:

• It portrays the emotion and tone of the original audio.
• It allows them to immerse themselves in the content rather than read subtitles.
• It helps people who struggle with reading or cannot read.
• It enables multitasking while listening to content.

Ultimately, dubbing provides the opportunity to reach new global markets. If your goal is to grow your audience and monetize your content, dubbing is a tool that will help you accomplish just that.

Challenges of Dubbing

While dubbing helps make content more accessible and engaging across languages, it comes with several challenges that can impact both quality and cost.

1. Lip-sync and performance accuracy: Matching translated dialogue to the actors’ lip movements and emotional tone is a complex process. Poor synchronization can break immersion and distract viewers, which is why precision is essential.
2. Cultural and linguistic adaptation: Literal translations often don’t capture local idioms, humor, or cultural references. Effective dubbing requires thoughtful adaptation (often utilizing professional linguists) to make dialogue sound natural and culturally relevant.
3. High production costs: Traditional dubbing is resource-intensive, requiring translators, voice actors, audio engineers, and multiple review rounds. This can quickly become expensive, especially for large-scale projects or multilingual releases.

That’s where 3Play Media’s human-in-the-loop dubbing solution makes a difference. 3Play delivers high-quality, natural-sounding dubbed content at scale, helping organizations overcome cost and time barriers without compromising on accuracy or emotional impact.

Ready to Globalize Your Video Content?

Dubbing is essential for making video content accessible to global audiences and enhancing cross-cultural understanding. Dubbing and subtitling are two primary localization techniques, each with its benefits and challenges, while human-in-the-loop AI solutions offer opportunities for innovation in dubbing.

As the video content market becomes more saturated, dubbing is a valuable tool brands can use to differentiate and further monetize their content globally.

Are you ready to level up your video content and go global?

3Play Media has provided thousands of our customers with high-quality, accurate localization services. As a one-stop, full-service video accessibility company, 3Play Media offers localization services, including AI Dubbing, as a seamless addition to your other video accessibility needs. Learn more:

Dubbing FAQs

This post was originally published on March 6th, 2024 by Jaclyn Lazzari and has since been updated by Noah Pearson for comprehensiveness, clarity, and accuracy.

About the author

Jaclyn Lazzari

Jaclyn is a marketing professional at 3Play Media with 7+ years in the video accessibility space. When she’s not at work, she’s exploring coastal New England, baking with seasonal ingredients, or enjoying football Sundays with her family.

The post What Is Dubbing? Everything You Need to Know About Dubbing Videos appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Accessibility

cielo24 Acquisition: The Case for Migrating to 3Play Media

Noah Pearson

•

October 1, 2025

Schedule a Consultation

Background of cielo24 Closure

cielo24, a provider of accessibility and media intelligence solutions such as captioning, transcription, and data labeling, recently announced that they were shutting their doors and being acquired by Rev.

Rev is a speech-to-text company that provides services like transcription, captions, and subtitles. While providing similar services to cielo24, there are significant gaps when it comes to services such as audio description and live captioning.

With September 30th, 2025 having been their last day in operation, customers are left with the choice to migrate to Rev’s platform, which may not fully accommodate their needs, or seek out alternative providers.

In this blog, we’ll break down advantages and disadvantages of migrating to Rev and why switching to an all-in-one accessibility and localization vendor like 3Play Media may be the better option.

The Pros and Cons of Migrating to Rev

For former cielo24 customers, Rev may feel like a natural landing spot given the acquisition. On the plus side, Rev offers a wide range of transcription and captioning services, with both AI-driven and human-powered options.

They are also well-established in the speech-to-text market, making them a recognizable and accessible choice.

However, there are tradeoffs to consider. Rev’s focus is primarily on transcription and captioning, with fewer offerings in areas like audio description, localization, and media accessibility at scale.

Where cielo24 relied on humans to deliver high-quality captioning and transcription, Rev takes an AI-first approach, which can result in lower accuracy and may fall short of certain compliance standards.

It’s also important to note that your data will not be automatically transferred to Rev, so if you were already considering switching vendors, now would be an opportune time.

As a result, while Rev provides continuity for some needs, organizations looking for a comprehensive accessibility and localization partner may need to explore additional alternatives.

The Case for Switching to 3Play Media

Now that we’ve broken down the advantages and disadvantages of migrating to Rev, let’s look at some of the reasons you should consider switching to 3Play Media for your accessibility and localization needs.

Comprehensive Solutions for Service Gaps

Your previous provider’s transition may result in significant gaps in specialized services that 3Play Media fully supports, such as:

Audio Description

For organizations that rely on audio description to make their video content fully accessible, 3Play Media offers a clear advantage. Unlike Rev, 3Play delivers high-quality audio descriptions that meet ADA and accessibility compliance standards.

With options for AI-scripting or professional human scripting, organizations can deliver accessible visual content at scale without breaking the budget. 3Play supports both standard and extended audio description.

Live Captioning Solutions

For organizations hosting live events or streaming video content, 3Play Media offers reliable live captioning solutions that Rev does not provide. With 3Play, captions are delivered in real time through our professional captioners to ensure accuracy and accessibility.

Furthermore, our flexible live services include both verbatim captioning and real-time summarization options to suit the unique needs of your audience.

Switching to 3Play ensures your live content is fully inclusive, helping you meet ADA and other accessibility requirements while engaging all viewers.

Accessible Video Player Support

Many cielo24 customers relied heavily on their accessibility plugin to make video content more inclusive and user-friendly. 3Play Media’s Access Player offers a comparable plugin that provides searchable time-synced transcripts, audio description integration, and more.

Unlike Rev, which does not provide a comparable player, 3Play’s solution gives you the tools to deliver an accessible, engaging video experience directly to your audience.

Panopto Integration

For organizations using Panopto to manage and share video content, 3Play Media offers seamless integration that Rev does not support.

This allows captions, transcripts, and other accessibility features to be automatically synced within the Panopto platform, streamlining workflows and saving time.

Dubbing Solutions

If you would like to give your content localization an upgrade, 3Play Media offers professional dubbing services that make your videos accessible and engaging for global audiences.

Our process combines AI-assisted voice generation with human review to ensure natural, high-quality audio that matches the original tone and intent while keeping costs low. 

Accuracy

When considering switching captioning and transcription vendors, accuracy is a crucial metric to consider, so we’ll break down how 3Play compares to Rev.

Measured Accuracy: Rev vs. 3Play Media

To compare accuracy, we conducted an analysis where we submitted the same files to both Rev and 3Play Media, then measured the number of errors on each platform.

3Play Media guarantees a minimum of 99% accuracy for every file processed, with an actual measured accuracy rate of 99.6% — achieved through a three-step process that combines Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), human editing, and human quality review.

In contrast, Rev’s measured accuracy rate falls between 84.7% and 94.4%, according to our analysis. This range indicates a higher potential for errors, which can be particularly problematic for content that requires precise transcription, such as legal, medical, or educational materials.

Click here to view the full analysis.

Implications of Accuracy Differences

• Compliance Risks: For organizations subject to accessibility regulations, such as the ADA or Section 508, inaccuracies in captions and transcripts can lead to compliance issues.
• User Experience: Inaccurate captions can hinder comprehension, especially for viewers who rely on them for understanding spoken content.
• Brand Reputation: Consistently accurate captions reflect a commitment to quality and inclusivity, enhancing an organization’s reputation.

More Benefits of Choosing 3Play

Beyond accuracy and reliability, 3Play Media offers additional benefits that make us the most comprehensive partner for your accessibility and localization needs.

• Robust Integration Capabilities: With over 40 integrations and flexible APIs, 3Play Media ensures seamless workflows across various platforms like Kaltura, Mediasite, Echo360, Yuja, and more. Rev supports only 8 integrations and offers limited API functionalities.

• Guaranteed Turnaround Times: 3Play Media offers six turnaround options, each backed by embedded Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee timely completion. Rev’s turnaround times are estimated and can range from 24 hours to 6 days.
• Comprehensive Support: 3Play Media provides email, phone, and chat support, resolving most tickets in under 24 hours. Rev offers only email and article-based support.
• Data Privacy Commitment: 3Play Media prioritizes user privacy, ensuring that customer data is not sold or integrated into open platforms like ChatGPT. Rev, however, has a license to use customer data indefinitely and includes OpenAI as a subprocessor.

Comparison

Rev vs. 3Play Media

Read a full breakdown of the differences between Rev and 3Play Media.

Learn More

Service Continuity and Immediate Support

We are immediately available to meet with you and discuss your specific accessibility and localization needs. Here’s how we can support you for a seamless switch:

• No Disruption: We understand that every day lost is a compliance risk. We have the infrastructure and team capacity to immediately take on your projects and process backlog content.
• Free Asset Import: We will provide free import for all your existing media assets and data, ensuring your library and historical information are securely migrated to our platform.
• Simplify Procurement: If you already have an existing contract or working relationship with 3Play Media, transitioning your services to our platform will be easier and faster than starting a new procurement process with Rev.
• Equivalent Service Matching: We are committed to understanding your existing pricing structure and the exact details of the services you received (e.g., speaker labels, glossaries) and will do what we can to match or get close to pricing for equivalent, high-quality services.

Next Steps

The closure of a trusted vendor like cielo24, coupled with a transition to a potentially AI-first solution, creates immediate workflow and compliance concerns for many organizations.

Rather than struggling to retrofit a new, generic service onto your specialized needs, and risking the loss of critical services like Audio Description or certified Live Captioning, this moment presents an opportunity.

3Play Media is a stable, long-term partner that specializes in scalable, human-in-the-loop solutions, guaranteeing 99%+ accuracy and seamless compatibility with platforms like Panopto.

Don’t delay your accessibility roadmap; schedule a consultation today to secure a free asset import and ensure your content remains fully compliant:

About the author

Noah Pearson

As a marketing specialist with 3Play Media, Noah specializes in accessibility and localization content creation, leveraging his technology expertise to help organizations expand their global reach and create a more inclusive digital experience.

The post cielo24 Acquisition: The Case for Migrating to 3Play Media appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Localization

Which Languages Are Required for EAA Compliance?

Elisa Lewis

•

September 9, 2025

Get the EAA Checklist

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has introduced significant considerations for businesses operating within or expanding into the EU market. Compliance, particularly regarding language support for accessible video content, is now a critical operational priority. At 3Play Media, we’re committed to staying ahead of these changes and helping our customers navigate the EAA with ease. This blog will help you answer the common question: Which languages are required for EAA compliance?

It’s also critical to note that in the EU and UK, the terms “captions” and “subtitles” are often used interchangeably; however, the EAA requirement is for Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH), which includes speaker identification and essential non-speech information. 

Navigating Backlogs and Member State Nuances

Two other areas of common confusion when understanding EAA video requirements include backlog content and member state rules. 

• Member State Rules: Each member state interprets and enforces the EAA baseline differently. Staying informed is key, as not all member states have published specific rules yet.

• Backlog Content: The purpose of your video matters. If you are producing e-learning or streaming videos where video is your product, you have until 2030 to make your backlogs accessible. Marketing videos may be exempt.

Seize the Opportunity: Expand and Engage with EAA Compliance

The EAA isn’t just about compliance; it’s about unlocking new markets and boosting your global SEO. Let’s continue the dialogue on EAA and localization. 3Play Media is dedicated to helping you scale globally, maintaining quality, and ensuring accessibility at every step, as our global language transcription and audio description solutions are designed to meet and exceed EAA standards. 

Learn More

Get Started With EAA Compliance

Use this checklist as a living document to track your progress toward full EAA compliance.

Get the Checklist

Disclaimer: Please note that this blog has been written for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

About the author

Elisa Lewis

Elisa Lewis is a Senior Marketing Manager at 3Play Media, where she leads content and brand strategy. She is passionate about accessibility, storytelling, and building connections through communication.

The post Which Languages Are Required for EAA Compliance? appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Accessibility

How to Prioritize Backlog Video Content for EAA Compliance

3Play Media

•

September 8, 2025

Schedule a Call to Learn how the EAA ApPlies to You

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has set a deadline of 2030 for audiovisual media services to ensure their backlog video content is compliant. This means that any existing video content that doesn’t meet accessibility standards must be updated or replaced by the deadline.

Compliance with the EAA is essential to reach a wider audience and avoid legal consequences. By making your backlog video content accessible, you can ensure that everyone will enjoy your content, regardless of their abilities.

This blog offers practical guidance on how to approach your backlog video to achieve EAA compliance.

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How does the EAA apply to your video content?

If your organization must prioritize its video backlog to comply with EAA, it’s best to start as soon as possible. Speak to someone at 3Play for tailored advice on where to get started.

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Download the EAA Checklist

Understanding EAA Requirements for Video

The EAA utilizes EN 301 549, the European accessibility standard for information and communication technology (ICT) products and services. This standard integrates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for web and software accessibility.

To comply with accessibility guidelines, videos must have the following components:

• Subtitles/Captions: Accurate and synchronized captions for all spoken content and relevant non-speech audio.
• Audio Description: Narration that describes important visual information for users who are blind or visually impaired.
• Transcripts: Text-based versions of the audio content, including spoken words and relevant non-speech audio.
• Sign language interpretation: Interpretation into a sign language for deaf users, particularly for video communication.
• Accessible video player: The video must be published on a player that fully supports these accessibility features and provides users with necessary controls.

Start Here: Creating a foundation for proactive video accessibility

Before diving into your backlog, take the time to build a strong internal foundation around accessibility.

Begin by conducting cross-departmental accessibility training that is tailored to each team’s specific function. Consider developing an accessibility hub, equipped with a checklist, to empower your team to incorporate accessibility directly into their workflows.

Next, create an accessibility statement. This external resource should live on your website and explain the compliance measures you’re taking. It should also provide guidance for users to submit feedback.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Prioritizing Your Video Backlog

To meet EAA deadlines, organizations need to plan ahead and allocate resources accordingly. To make your backlog video content compliant with EAA standards, you will need to audit existing video libraries, train your team on the new standards, budget for any necessary changes, and incorporate accessibility into your current workflows.

Setting a plan now will ensure you create a culture of proactive accessibility at your organization.

Step 1: Inventory and Categorization

The first step is to create a list of all videos hosted on your website. This can be an excel document, or imported into a project management system. Then create the following columns:

(Optional) Expiration date: Include if your videos have a limited shelf life.

• Create date: Add a column for the creation date, if possible.
• Platform: Add a column for the video’s hosting platform.
• Video length: Indicate the length of the video.
• Accessibility Assets: Create a column for each video accessibility asset required (e.g. captions, audio description). Indicate which videos already have these assets.
• Format: Note if this video is a webinar recording, interview, short-form video, promotional, social video, etc.
• Department: If applicable, note which department owns this video (e.g. marketing, sales, customer support, human resources).

Get Started

Achieving Compliance with the EAA

If your organization must prioritize its video backlog to comply with EAA, it’s best to start as soon as possible.

Accessible video content offers long-term benefits such as broader reach, improved user experience, and legal compliance. Start your video inventory today or contact for assistance.

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About the author

3Play Media

The post How to Prioritize Backlog Video Content for EAA Compliance appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Legislation & Compliance

ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know in 2026

Noah Pearson

•

September 4, 2025

Free Webinar: ADA Title II Deep Dive

With compliance deadlines for ADA Title II swiftly approaching, it is crucial for public entities to understand the scope of this ruling and the steps they can take not only to achieve compliance for their digital content, but also to maintain it in the long term.

Read on to learn what Title II entails, what digital content is covered, and the steps your organization can take to maintain compliance.

Key Takeaways

• ADA Title II is the section of the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all programs, services, and activities provided by state and local governments (this includes public colleges and universities).
• Organizations serving a population of 50,000 or more have until April 24th, 2026, to meet Title II requirements; organizations with less than 50,000 have until April 24th, 2027.
• ADA Title II now requires public entities to make their digital content compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, a set of guidelines that ensures web content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for people with disabilities.

Table of Contents

• ADA Title II: Background
• What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
• Who is Covered under ADA Title II?
• ADA Title II Compliance Deadlines
• Consequences of Non-Compliance with ADA Title II
• ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 Level AA
• ADA Title II for Higher Education
• Video Accessibility for ADA Title II
• Next Steps for Title II Compliance

ADA Title II: Background

The U.S. Department of Justice’s final rule on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made one thing clear: digital accessibility is no longer optional for public entities.

In 2025, public universities, community colleges, and other public entities are facing a new reality, as the vague legal expectations of the past have been replaced by a concrete, enforceable standard.

While these new accessibility requirements might seem like a burden, they are actually a significant opportunity. According to the CDC, over 70 million adults report having a disability in the US alone.

Additionally, the Valuable 500 found that people with disabilities, as well as their friends and families, have $13 trillion of spending power.

By making your digital content accessible, you don’t just comply with the law, you unlock a brand-new audience.

This blog is being published in tandem with the recording of 3Play Media and TPGi‘s co-sponsored webinar, “ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know About Digital Accessibility“. For a deeper dive into this topic, this webinar can be viewed for free on demand!

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

Definition

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, ensuring equal opportunities for all.

The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life.

Enacted in 1990, the ADA initially focused exclusively on the physical world, for example, installing a wheelchair ramp at the entrance of a public building.

However, as the world became increasingly digital, the ADA expanded to include websites, online video, and other forms of digital content. The ADA now ensures that all public entities, regardless of size, must make their digital presence accessible to all.

The ADA is broken down into five titles:

In this article, we will be focusing on Title II and how it applies to digital content and services.

Who is Covered under ADA Title II?

ADA Title II applies to all state and local governments, including their departments, agencies, and any other public entities. This means the law covers every program, service, and activity they offer, regardless of whether they receive federal funding.

To take public universities and community colleges as an example, this includes everything from a university’s website and digital learning platforms to online course content and public-facing video materials.

According to ada.gov, other examples include:

Essentially, if a government agency at the state or local level offers a program or service, it must be accessible to everyone.

What is Covered under ADA Title II?

Examples of digital content and services that fall under this umbrella include (but are not limited to):

• All public-facing websites and mobile applications
• Online forms and application portals (e.g., for licenses, benefits)
• Digital documents and publications (e.g., PDFs, reports, brochures)
• Official social media posts and announcements
• Video and audio content (which must have captions or transcripts)
• Any digital service or content provided through a third-party contractor or vendor

ADA Title II Compliance Deadlines

Deadlines for Title II of the ADA are dependent on the size of the jurisdiction the public entity resides in.

Erik Ducker, Sr. Director of Product Marketing at 3Play Media, lays out these deadlines (and who they apply to) in this video, clipped from our ADA Title II webinar:

Consequences of Non-Compliance with ADA Title II

Failing to comply with the digital accessibility requirements of ADA Title II can expose public entities to significant risks, from legal action to financial penalties and reputational damage.

Financial and Legal Penalties

• Lawsuits and Fines: The Department of Justice (DOJ) can file lawsuits against non-compliant entities. Civil penalties can be substantial, with fines possibly exceeding $100,000, according to the ADA.
• Costly Settlements: While most cases are settled before going to court, these settlements often require the entity to pay for the plaintiff’s legal fees and implement expensive accessibility overhauls. An example of one such settlement is National Association of the Deaf v. Harvard.
• Loss of Funding: In cases involving public schools and universities, a finding of non-compliance by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) can lead to a loss of federal funding.

Reputational Damage

• Damaged Reputation: Non-compliance can lead to negative publicity and public backlash, creating the perception that the institution is not inclusive or welcoming to people with disabilities.
• Exclusion of Audience: Inaccessible digital content excludes a significant portion of the population. A commitment to accessibility, on the other hand, demonstrates good governance and public service, fostering a more inclusive and engaged community.

ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 Level AA

The new ADA Title II rule provides clarity by adopting a specific technical standard for digital accessibility. Public entities must now make their digital content and services compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.

WCAG is an internationally recognized set of guidelines for making digital content accessible to people with disabilities.

The “2.1” refers to a specific version that includes new success criteria for mobile devices and users with low vision. “Level AA” is the conformance level that dictates the necessary standards you must meet.

You can read more about the WCAG 2.1 requirements and distinction between levels on W3C’s website.

WCAG 2.1 is built on four core principles that guide digital content accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust; forming the acronym “POUR”.

In the clip below (also from our Title II webinar), David Sloan, Chief Accessibility Officer at Vispero, breaks down the four principals of WCAG 2.1.

ADA Title II for Higher Education

For public universities and community colleges, the new ADA Title II rule brings a significant shift: digital accessibility is now a clear, legal requirement, not just a best practice.

The new rule for public colleges and universities mandates a proactive approach, requiring all digital content to be accessible from the outset, not only when an accommodation is requested.

This is important because the majority of students with a disability do not report it to their college or university, according to the National Center of Education Statistics.

This approach is critical to ensuring an equitable learning experience for all students, whether or not they’ve officially requested accommodations.

What Content is Covered?

The rule applies to every digital service, program, and activity your institution provides, affecting a wide range of content.

This includes:

• University Websites: Main university sites, department pages, and alumni portals.
• Online Learning Platforms: All content within Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas or Blackboard.
• Course Materials: Lecutre videos, Digital documents, presentations, and syllabi.
• Third-Party Content: Any external content or tools you provide to students through a contractual, licensing, or other arrangement.

This move toward “accessible by default” impacts not just IT departments, but every faculty member and staff creator who produces or manages digital content.

Solutions

Title II Compliance for Higher Education

An established leader in higher education accessibility solutions, 3Play Media is your partner in creating a truly inclusive learning environment. Learn more:

Higher Ed Solutions

ADA Title II Compliance

Video Accessibility for ADA Title II

For public entities, video is a powerful communication tool, but under the new ADA Title II rule, it is also a major compliance concern.

The rule mandates that all video content, from online courses and training materials to public meetings and social media posts, must be made fully accessible to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

To comply, your videos need to include the following elements:

• Accurate Captions: Both live and pre-recorded videos must have accurate, synchronized captions to provide access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These captions must include not only spoken dialogue but also sound effects and musical cues.
• Audio Description: Pre-recorded videos that contain important visual-only information, such as on-screen text, charts, or actions, must have an audio description track. This separate narration describes the key visual details for users who are blind or have low vision.
• Transcripts: A text transcript of the video’s dialogue and important sounds is a best practice. This provides an easy-to-read, searchable, and shareable version of the video’s content, benefiting all users (and boosting SEO!).

Read more about ADA Title II requirements for video:

The Role of Responsible AI in Video Accessibility

From vast libraries of pre-recorded lectures to ongoing live events, the volume of content can make full compliance seem overwhelming. This is where AI becomes a powerful tool, but it’s crucial to understand the difference between simply using AI and using it responsibly.

AI-powered solutions can dramatically accelerate the process by generating an initial layer of accessibility. This includes:

• Automated Captioning: AI’s Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) can quickly produce captions for thousands of hours of video, providing a strong starting point for remediation.
• AI-Scripted Audio Description: Generative AI and computer vision can analyze a video’s visual track to provide a rough script for audio description.

However, relying solely on AI is a significant risk. The new ADA Title II rule mandates compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which requires a high level of accuracy that AI alone often cannot meet.

3Play Media’s 2025 State of ASR Report found that in higher education, the top AI-powered engines still had a word error rate of 6.4%*. That equates to around 1 in every 16 words being incorrect.

That’s why 3Play Media utilizes a “human-in-the-loop” approach to ensure high quality, while drastically increasing efficiency and affordability.

This method combines the speed and scale of AI with the precision of expert editors, giving you a scalable solution for all your video accessibility needs. Using this method, 3Play can guarantee 99% accuracy for video captions—well above the 93.6% accuracy achieved by using AI alone.

* This percentage represents the average of the top 4 ASR engines that were tested.

Next Steps for Title II Compliance

Navigating the new ADA Title II rule can feel overwhelming, but your institution doesn’t have to tackle it alone.

An established leader in higher education accessibility solutions, 3Play Media provides a scalable and reliable way to ensure all your video content meets the new WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements.

Our “human-in-the-loop” approach delivers high-quality captions, transcripts, and audio description, giving you a clear roadmap to compliance.

For a deep dive into ADA Title II, requirements, deadlines, solutions, and more, watch our free webinar, now available on demand:

Watch Now

ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know About Digital Accessibility

About the author

Noah Pearson

As a marketing specialist with 3Play Media, Noah specializes in accessibility and localization content creation, leveraging his technology expertise to help organizations expand their global reach and create a more inclusive digital experience.

The post ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know in 2026 appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Captioning

Captioning and Transcription for Higher Education

Noah Pearson

•

May 21, 2025

Strategizing Accessibility in Higher Education [Webinar]

There are many benefits to offering captions for online video in higher education institutions. Closed captioning in higher education makes videos more accessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. By prioritizing video accessibility, colleges and universities can ensure that more students have equal access to educational content and media.

Importantly, providing accessible video content is not just a best practice—it is a legal obligation. Under various legislation, colleges and universities are required to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities.

While captions are primarily intended to make videos accessible to people with disabilities, they can also benefit all students. One study revealed that 80% of people who use captions are not deaf or hard of hearing – they find that captions improve their engagement, focus, and comprehension.

Another study by the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) explored the impact of captions and transcripts on student learning. The results shed light on the value of captions in the classroom and showed that accessible video could have a positive impact on students’ performance.

What’s Important for Captioning in Higher Education?

Caption Accuracy

Inaccurate captions are frustrating for anyone, but for students, it’s particularly detrimental to their learning and performance. Many students rely on captions to assist them in their studies, especially those who are:

• D/deaf or hard of hearing
• English language learners or non-native English speakers
• Individuals with learning disabilities

Accurate captions are a necessity for higher education institutions because students must have access to accurate learning materials, including educational videos.

Note that in 2019, the court acknowledged that caption accuracy is critical to accessibility as seen in its decision for the NAD v. Harvard and NAD v. MIT accessibility suits.

Timeliness

Captions must be made available simultaneously with the video content to ensure that all students have equal access to instructional materials. This is especially critical in educational environments where videos are used as part of core instruction, assignments, or assessments.

When captions are delayed, students who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who rely on captions for comprehension, may fall behind or miss essential information. This creates a situation of unequal access, which can not only disadvantage the student academically but may also place the institution at risk of noncompliance with federal accessibility laws.

Billing Flexibility

Universities often have many different departments and may even have additional campuses aside from the main campus. Higher education institutions require flexible billing options to bill each department or campus separately and to provide specific administrators access to billing information. A smooth billing process helps to make the entire captioning process painless, efficient, and sustainable.

Legal Compliance and Accessibility Standards

Higher education institutions are legally obligated to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, have equal access to academic content and services. This includes captioning and transcription for video and audio materials, which are considered essential components of accessible communication.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA is a foundational civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Two key sections apply to colleges and universities:

• Title II applies to public institutions (such as state colleges and universities), requiring them to provide equal access to all programs, services, and activities. This includes ensuring that digital content is accessible through accurate captioning and transcription.
• Title III applies to private institutions, mandating that they remove barriers to access and provide auxiliary aids and services, including captioning, to ensure effective communication with students with disabilities.

Click here for information on the rapidly approaching ADA compliance deadlines.

The Rehabilitation Act

Two key provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are especially relevant to higher education institutions:

• Section 504: Requires institutions receiving federal funding to provide equal access to students with disabilities through academic adjustments and auxiliary aids, such as captions and transcripts.
• Section 508: Mandates that electronic and information technology used by federally funded institutions be accessible, following standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Common Challenges in Captioning for Higher Education

Restricted Budgets

State schools have set funding for academic programs and departments, whether it be from private donations or state and federal funding. This requires state schools to operate within a limited budget, which is one of their most significant barriers to captioning. They will look for a captioning solution that allows them to stay within budget while still maintaining a 99% accuracy rate of their content.

Workflow and Compatibility

While the process for captioning in higher education varies from college to college, there are often several steps a professor must go through to get a video captioned on time. Sending a captioning request may take a lot of back and forth. Having a solution that helps a college streamline the captioning process will ensure that videos are captioned when students need them.

There are many options for lecture capture systems and video platforms, and schools will use whichever platform fits their unique needs. To ensure their transcription and captioning processes are seamless and efficient, schools will look for captions that are compatible with their lecture capture systems and video platforms.

Complex Content

Higher education institutions offer multiple areas of study and hundreds of degrees and certificates with different focuses. For reference, the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers over 600 undergraduate majors and certificates. With large amounts of high-level content in varying subjects, it’s a challenge for schools to ensure their content is transcribed accurately.

How Captions & Transcripts Impact Students’ Performance

What Vendor Features Are Important for Higher Education?

Guaranteed Accuracy

3Play Media’s closed captions and transcripts comply with federal accessibility laws. Our captions provide a measured accuracy rate of 99.6%, and we guarantee at least 99% accuracy, even in cases of poor audio quality, multiple speakers, difficult content, and accents.

Competitive Pricing

Our advanced technology is what enables our competitive prices, but our quality assurance measures ensure that our caption quality is top-notch. We also offer flexible billing, allowing customers to have project-level billing for higher education organizations that require that multiple departments and campuses are billed separately or have access to separate billing information.

Skilled Transcript Editors

3Play Media always provides accurate transcripts for a broad range of complex content. We have a staff of thousands of skilled transcript editors who can edit content from topics in which they are knowledgeable. We also allow customers to upload wordlists with correct spellings, punctuation, and capitalization for difficult words and subject-specific terms.

Video Platform Integrations

Integrations with lecture capture systems and online video management platforms allow for a more streamlined captioning process. 3Play offers integrations with all major video players, including Kaltura, Panopto, Mediasite, Echo360, and YouTube. Our integrations will automatically post your captions back to your video, giving you more time to focus on other projects.

User-friendly Account System

Our Account System is easy for customers to use, and you can rest assured that captioning won’t be a complicated endeavor. Each account can support multiple users, departments, and permissions. Account admins can control user access to any of the core account functions like invoices & billing, uploading, editing, publishing control, and user management. On top of that, we have a fabulous support team to help you along the way.

Higher Education Institutions that Use 3Play Media

This blog post is written for educational and general information purposes only, and does not constitute specific legal advice. This blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

This blog was originally published on April 27, 2020 by Jaclyn Leduc and has since been updated by Abby Alepa and Noah Pearson for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.

About the author

Noah Pearson

As a marketing specialist with 3Play Media, Noah specializes in accessibility and localization content creation, leveraging his technology expertise to help organizations expand their global reach and create a more inclusive digital experience.

The post Captioning and Transcription for Higher Education appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Localization

What is AI Localization? And Should You DIY or Outsource?

sofia

•

May 9, 2025

AI localization is transforming how video content reaches global audiences. By utilizing innovative translation technologies, creators can now adapt content faster and more affordably than ever before.

When it comes to localization services like subtitling and dubbing, AI solutions are everywhere, even on platforms like YouTube, which offer free options for content creators seeking global reach. But when quality, nuance, and scale matter, the decision to build or outsource your AI localization workflow becomes critical.

So, what exactly is AI localization, and how should you implement it? Read on to learn the answer to these pertinent questions.

On-Demand Webinar

Learn About 3Play’s AI Dubbing Solution

Watch this webinar for an in-depth discussion of AI Dubbing and how 3Play Media’s platform streamlines your video localization workflow.

Watch On-Demand

What is AI Localization?

Before diving into the definition of AI localization, it is important to understand what localization is, generally speaking. Localization is the process of adapting content for a specific language, culture, and audience.
It goes beyond direct translation to account for local customs, idioms, cultural references, legal requirements, and viewer expectations.

For video content, localization typically involves subtitling, dubbing, on-screen text translation, and even global language audio description to ensure the message is accessible and resonates in each target market.
AI localization, then, is the application of artificial intelligence to automate and enhance this process.

AI Localization Definition

AI localization is the use of artificial intelligence to adapt content such as video, audio, and text for different languages and cultures. It combines technologies like machine translation, speech recognition, and synthetic voice dubbing to deliver scalable and culturally relevant localized content.

Benefits of AI Localization

AI localization offers a range of advantages for organizations looking to expand their video content to global markets quickly and efficiently. While it’s not a substitute for human creativity and cultural expertise, AI brings significant value when integrated thoughtfully into the localization workflow:

• Faster Turnaround Times – AI tools can transcribe, translate, and generate voiceovers or subtitles in a fraction of the time it would take a human team, drastically reducing production timelines.
• Lower Costs – Automating parts of the localization process helps cut costs by minimizing manual labor and reducing the need for large in-house teams.
• Improved Scalability – Whether you’re localizing ten videos or ten thousand, AI enables consistent output and makes it easier to scale your content across multiple languages and regions.
• Consistent Quality – AI systems can be trained to maintain terminology, tone, and style across all localized assets, ensuring consistency in your brand voice.
• Seamless Workflow Integration – Many AI localization solutions are built to integrate with existing media platforms making it easier to manage content across production, translation, and distribution pipelines.

When paired with human oversight and quality control, AI localization provides a powerful, flexible solution for meeting the demands of multilingual video content at scale.

Build vs. Buy: Should You Build Your AI Localization Workflow?

While AI video localization tools may appear effortless, producing high-quality localized video at scale requires a combination of AI tools and the expertise of professional linguists. Hidden costs include:

• Assembling a skilled team, typically involving AI experts, developers, linguists, and project managers.
• Identifying and selecting areas of AI integrations such as machine translation, quality assurance, and workflow automation.
• Training and fine-tuning AI models regularly to meet your organization’s specific needs and terminology.
• Establishing human oversight and feedback loops to continuously improve the performance of AI models and quality check final outputs.
• Measuring AI localization workflows with defined KPIs to track the impact of AI.
• Upgrading models when new technologies emerge or updates are necessary.
• Security and compliance.

Approaches to Localizing Content

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There are three approaches to localizing content that organizations can consider:

• Building blocks: These organizations are piecing together a subtitling or dubbing solution, mainly utilizing AI components. For example, they use machine translation, AI voices, and automated audio mixing to create an AI dubbing solution. This approach can be expensive and requires significant internal development resources.
• Build-Your-Own Workforce: These organizations are using automated localization solutions to create an initial version of a subtitle or dubbing output, then building their own workforce of linguists to review and finalize the assets. This method faces several drawbacks, notably its limited scalability and substantial staffing expenses.
• End-to-End Vendors: A final option involves outsourcing to a vendor for a comprehensive solution. This integrates AI automation with human review at each stage, offering a more cost-effective, flexible, and scalable approach.

The Cost of Translation: Free Budget Planner

How to Outsource AI Localization

Instead of building and maintaining your own AI infrastructure and expertise in-house, you can leverage a localization vendor’s existing AI capabilities, workflows, and teams to easily scale video localization.
Here’s a breakdown of what this typically involves:

• Identifying the scope of work, budget, timeline, quality expectations, and pain points.
• Selecting the right vendor based on quality, service offerings, workflow integrations, security, support, and price.
• Onboarding your team and integrating your video platforms to the vendor’s system.
• Develop a style guide for the vendor team to promote consistent voice and terminology.
• Providing feedback and reviewing performance.

Outsourcing allows you to tap into specialized AI expertise, built-in human quality assurance in a range of languages, and complete elimination of upfront investments and ongoing management of an in-house solution.

Does AI Development Align with Your Long-Term Localization Vision?

The fundamental consideration when evaluating your localization strategy is this: if you’re an organization producing tens of thousands of hours of content per year, then an in-house localization workflow can offer significant advantages. This approach gives you maximum control and deep integration with your existing workflows.
However, if you’re producing thousands of hours of video content a year, the path of outsourcing to a localization vendor becomes the more strategic and efficient route. Attempting to build a complex AI solution, coupled with managing an in-house linguist team, can lead to challenges and high initial investments.

Benefits of Outsourcing Video Localization

For organizations where AI is not a core strength, partnering with a specialized end-to-end vendor offers compelling benefits:

• Access to Expertise: You immediately tap into the vendor’s deep knowledge and experience in both AI and localization.
• Faster Implementation: Leveraging a vendor’s platform and integration capabilities accelerates your adoption timeline.
• Reduced Risk and Cost: You avoid the significant upfront investment and ongoing overhead associated with building and maintaining an in-house localization team and infrastructure.
• Focus on Your Core Business: Your internal teams can concentrate on their core strengths – creating and managing video content – rather than becoming AI development and localization experts.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Vendors can readily scale their services to meet your fluctuating video localization needs.

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In conclusion, the decision of whether to build or outsource your localization workflow for video content is not a one-size-fits-all answer. If localization is in your core competency, then you’ll want to build; if it’s not, you’ll benefit from outsourcing.

Contact Us

Ready to start your AI Localization journey? Let’s talk.

Get faster turnarounds, fewer errors, and a global-ready workflow built for your needs.

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About the author

sofia

The post What is AI Localization? And Should You DIY or Outsource? appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Captioning

Caption Formats: Acronyms Explained

3Play Media

•

May 1, 2025

Understanding all of the caption formats and selecting the right one is essential in creating accessible, platform-ready video content. If you’ve encountered acronyms like SRT, WebVTT, or SMPTE-TT and aren’t sure what they mean, this guide provides a clear breakdown of the most common caption formats, their key features, and where they are best used.

What does SRT stand for?

What does SRT stand for?

SRT stands for SubRip Subtitle, a widely used caption file format known for its simplicity and compatibility. It’s commonly used for videos on platforms like YouTube and Facebook, and contains timing and plain-text dialogue without complex formatting.

SRT stands for SubRip Subtitle, widely used among the caption formats and known for its simplicity, adaptability, and compatibility. Originally developed from DVD-ripping software, SRT files are plain text and easy to read, containing a numbered sequence, timecodes, and caption text.
They’re supported by platforms like YouTube and are ideal for both closed captions and subtitles. While basic in structure, they support many languages and can sometimes be used in editing software for burned-in captions.

A caption frame in SRT consists of:

1. A number indicating which subtitle it is in the sequence.
2. The time that the subtitle should appear on the screen, and then disappear.
3. The caption text.
4. A blank line that indicates the start of a new subtitle.

 Beginners Guide to Captioning [Free Ebook]  

What does WebVTT stand for?

WebVTT stands for Web Video Text Tracks. It’s a modern, user-friendly caption format designed for the web and based on the SRT format, but with added features like text styling, positioning, and support for different rendering modes.

WebVTT is widely supported across HTML5 video players and preferred by platforms like Vimeo. Though it closely resembles SRT in structure, its enhanced styling capabilities make it a popular choice for delivering captions with more control over visual presentation.
WebVTT caption files are compatible with videos on cloud-based, HTML5 media players and video management systems.

WebVTT caption files are compatible with videos on cloud-based, HTML5 media players and video management systems.

What does SCC stand for?

SCC (.scc) stands for “Scenarist Closed Captions.” It’s commonly used with broadcast and web video, and DVDs and VHS videos.
SCC file data is based on closed captioning data for CEA-608. i.e., Line 21 or EIA-608 broadcast data; this used to be the standard transmission format for closed captions in North America.

What does STL stand for?

STL stands for “Spruce Subtitle File.” It was developed by Spruce Technologies primarily for use in DVD Studio Pro software. The STL format allows you to configure most subtitle settings and change the settings on a subtitle-by-subtitle basis.

STL subtitle files consist of:

1. Commands: These are preceded by the dollar sign ($). It is these commands that allow you to configure the various aspects of the subtitles, such as their font and position.
2. Comments: These are preceded by a double slash (//). These allow you to add text comments throughout the subtitle file without affecting its import.
3. Entries: These include the start and end timecode values and the text or graphics file for that subtitle clip.

What does DFXP stand for?

DFXP (.dfxp) stands for “Distribution Format Exchange Profile.” It’s a timed-text format that was developed by W3C and is most commonly used for Flash video captions. DFXP is used by many online video providers, but typically in a limited role without full CEA-608 features (making that video non-compliant with the CVAA rules for TV content online).

DFXP caption files are compatible with videos on media players, lecture capture software, and video management systems.

 Download the Beginner’s Guide to Closed Captioning  

What does TTML stand for?

TTML stands for “Timed Text Markup Language.” TTML a class of XML file that can come in various formats, including DFXP. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language file and can come in many formats, the most common being TTML, DFXP, and SMPTE-TT. Most of these variations can be used for multiple languages, which makes them quite useful for localization and subtitling, but support of other stylistic features varies between XMLs.

TTML is often used interchangeably with the term DFXP, although there can be TTML files that are formatted slightly differently from DFXP. TTML files have the file extension (.ttml).

TTML caption files are compatible with videos on media players, lecture capture software, and video recording software.

What does SMPTE-TT stand for?

SMPTE-TT stands for the “Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineering – Timed Text.” It is a type of XML file developed by SMPTE.

Television content providers like to use SMPTE-TT because it is compliant with FCC closed caption regulations for broadcasters, unlike other formats like DFXP. Another important difference of SMPTE-TT captions is that they reference video frames instead of video time. SMPTE-TT files end is extension .xml.

Four features that set SMPTE-TT apart from DFXP/TTML:

1. The #image attribute can display .png images.
2. The #data feature allows the player to pass CEA-708 data (the standard for captioning digital TV) through to the video player, as well as CEA-608 data (the line-21 standard for broadcast TV captioning).
3. SMPTE-TT attributes are traditionally associated with subtitles, including foreign-alphabet characters and some mathematical symbols.
4. The #information feature tells the player whether to display the caption data with the original look and feel (preserve mode) or to take advantage of the more advanced display capabilities (enhance mode).

What does QT stand for?

QT stands for “QuickTime.” Developed by Apple, QT is used exclusively for QuickTime Pro video or audio files.

What does CAP stand for?

This is a common subtitle/caption file format for broadcast media. It was developed by Cheetah International to accommodate characters in many languages for international use. Cheetah files have the file extension .asc or .cap. This format is used in professional video editing systems.

What does CPT.XML stand for?

CPT.XML stands for “Captionate XML.” It’s an XML format originating in the caption-embedding software Captionate and used for encoding captions into Flash video.

 Learn everything you need to know about closed captioning  

What does PPT.XML stand for?

PPT.XML stands for “PowerPoint XML,” a customized TTML file that works with STAMP in PowerPoint.

What does EBU.STL stand for?

EBU.STL stands for “European Broadcasting Union subtitles.” This is a common subtitle/caption file format for PAL broadcast media in Europe. EBU.STL captions are typically used in professional video editing systems, like Avid.

What does RT stand for?

RealText (.rt) captions are timed-text file for RealMedia. Similar to SMIL markup, RealText is a very simple text file that consumes minimal bandwidth and streams quickly to RealOne Player.

What does SAMI or SMI stand for?

Developed by Microsoft, SAMI — or SMI, as it is also known — stands for “Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange.” Used for Windows Media video or audio. SMI files end in either .sami or .smi extensions.

What does SBV or SUB stand for?

SBV or SUB both stand for “SubViewer.” This is a very simple YouTube caption file format that doesn’t recognize style markup. It’s a text format that is very similar to SRT.

Other Caption File Formats

These formats are examples of customized or less frequently used caption file types. For many of these, more common caption formats may be substituted.

This blog post was originally published on March 5, 2015, by Emily Griffin. It has since been updated for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.

About the author

3Play Media

The post Caption Formats: Acronyms Explained appeared first on 3Play Media.

Blog

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• Captioning

How to Create an SRT File

Elisa Lewis

•

April 16, 2025

Create your own SRT files [Free Template]

An SRT (.srt) file is one of the most common file formats for subtitling and/or captioning. ‘SRT’ stands for ‘SubRip Subtitle’ file. This format originated from the DVD-ripping software by the same name. SubRip would “rip” (or extract) subtitles and timings from live video, recorded video, and, of course, DVDs. Today, this format is widely supported by most media players and video software, and you can even create SRT files yourself.

SRT files offer a straightforward way to add captions to your videos. However, getting started can feel overwhelming. As industry leaders in captioning solutions, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to give you the lowdown on everything you need to know about SRT files – what they are, how to create them (on Mac and Windows), and why you should use them.

  FREE Template: Create an SRT Files  

What is an SRT file?

As we mentioned, SRT files are derived from the SubRip software. This software extracted subtitles and their timing information from video content as a text file. Today, creating an SRT text file is easy to do without needing special software, and we’ll show you how! But first, it’s helpful to understand how SRT files are formatted and the components they’re made up of.

The Anatomy of an SRT File

There are many types of caption formats, but SRT files are very simple. This makes them easy for people to read and even edit using a basic text editor. Each caption frame within an SRT file follows the same structure.

This simple structure allows web players to synchronize the text with the video playback accurately. While some advanced formatting like italics or positioning might be supported by certain video players, the core strength of SRT lies in its universal compatibility and readability.

Timecodes in SRT files follow this format: hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds. The milliseconds are always shown with three decimal places. The start and end timecodes for each subtitle are separated by a double arrow (written as: – ->). After the timecodes and the subtitle text, you need to add a blank line to signal the start of the next subtitle. When you save your SRT file, make sure to use the .srt extension.

Why are SRT files so popular?

SRT files are widely used because they provide the following benefits:

• Wide Compatibility: SRT files work seamlessly with a vast range of media players, video hosting platforms, lecture capture software, and video editing tools.
• Human-Readable: Their plain text format makes them easy to understand, edit, and troubleshoot.
• Language Support: SRT files can accommodate characters from almost any language.
• Versatility: They can be used for both closed captions (including sound descriptions and other non-speech elements) and subtitles (primarily dialogue).

3Play Media includes seamless SRT captioning integrations with many popular platforms used for online video, including Facebook, YouTube, and Wistia.

  FREE Template: Create an SRT Files  

How to create SRT files:

The first step in creating an SRT file is to create the transcript for your video – depending on the operating system you’re using, the instructions may vary. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:

For Mac users

1. Open a new file in TextEdit
2. To begin, type the number 1 to indicate the beginning of the first caption sequence. To move on, press enter 
3. Enter the beginning and ending timecode, using the following format: hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds – -> hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds
4. When you’re finished, press enter
5. In the next line, begin typing your captions. It is best practice to limit captions to 32 characters, with 2 lines per caption – this ensures viewers aren’t forced to read too much too quickly, and that captions don’t take up too much space on the screen. Additionally ensure your captions comply with legal guidelines.*
6. After the last line of text in the sequence, press enter twice. Always leave a blank line to indicate a new caption sequence
7. After the blank line, type the number 2 to indicate the beginning of the second caption sequence and type your captions following SRT format. 
8. Repeat these steps until you have a completed transcript!
9. To save your file as an .srt, click Format → Make Plain Text, or you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Command + T
10. Then click File → Save. Under Save As, type the name of your file. Then, change the file extension from .txt to .srt 
11. Uncheck Hide Extension on the bottom left-hand side of the menu, as well as If no extension is provided, use “.txt”
12. Click Save. Congratulations – you are now ready to upload your captions!

For Windows users

1. Open a new file in Notepad
2. To begin, type the number 1 to indicate the beginning of the first caption sequence. To move on, press enter 
3. Enter the beginning and ending timecode, using the following format: hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds –> hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds
4. When you’re finished, press enter
5. In the next line, begin typing your captions. Best practices recommend limiting captions to 32 characters, with 2 lines per caption – this ensures viewers aren’t forced to read too much too quickly, and that captions don’t take up too much space on the screen. Additionally ensure your captions comply with legal guidelines.*
6. After the last line of text in the sequence, press enter twice. Always leave a blank line to indicate a new caption sequence
7. After the blank line, type the number 2 to indicate the beginning of the second caption sequence and type your captions following SRT format. 
8. Repeat these steps until you have a completed transcript! 
9. Then click File → Save. Under File Name, type the name of your file and include .srt at the end
10. Under Save as type select All Files
11. Click Save, and congratulations! You are now ready to upload your captions.

How to upload SRT files

The process of uploading your newly created SRT file may vary depending on which media player, lecture capture software, or video recording software you choose to upload your video to – that’s why we’ve written how-to guides for just about every platform you can think of, including YouTube, Canvas, and Zoom.

Read the Guide: How to Create SRT Files

*For more information on legal requirements and closed captioning guidelines, refer to our white papers:

DIY SRT Creation vs. professional captioning

SRT file creation is an easy (and free) solution to independently create captions on your own videos. However, those looking for DIY solutions should be aware that caption creation often additionally requires timecode creation, which typically makes the captioning process more time consuming. 

To avoid the requirement of setting your own timecodes, YouTube’s captioning tool is one alternative that automatically syncs captions with what is being spoken in the video. Using this tool, users can select a video from their YouTube account, manually add captions to that file, and the corresponding timecodes will automatically populate. This effectively eliminates the need to manually enter timecodes (unlike in SRT file creation) and can save DIY captioners some time. 

The length of time it takes to caption a video can vary, but largely depends on the length of the video itself, the captioner’s level of experience, and video quality. Typically, it could take an experienced transcriptionist 5-10 times a video’s length to transcribe captions – this means a five-minute video could take anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes to complete! If you’re creating your own captions and timecodes using an SRT file, it may take longer. 

There are numerous benefits to captioning your videos, so don’t let the time it takes to create captions prevent you from adding them to your video! Captioned video content has the ability to improve your SEO rankings and serve your content to new audiences – including viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, those who know English as a second language, and even those who simply prefer using captions. 

Creating your own captions can be a cost-saver, but if you’re planning on captioning many videos or lengthy videos, consider hiring a captioning service. A full-service captioning solution ensures all of your captions are legally compliant and avoids the need to consider timecode creation in the captioning process. 

A good captioning service will take care of all the logistics for you. That’s why 3Play Media guarantees turnaround based on your schedule, and a 99.6% average accuracy rate. Before selecting a vendor, it’s important to research who exactly will be captioning your videos as well as how the captioning and transcription process works, to better understand their rates.

Think you’re ready to start writing SRT captions? Get started today

This post was originally published on March 8, 2017 by Sofia Enamorado & has since been updated for accuracy, freshness, and clarity.

About the author

Elisa Lewis

Elisa Lewis is a Senior Marketing Manager at 3Play Media, where she leads content and brand strategy. She is passionate about accessibility, storytelling, and building connections through communication.

The post How to Create an SRT File appeared first on 3Play Media.