Netflix now lets TV viewers customize text for subtitles and closed captions

3 1 minute read

Beginning as we speak, Netflix is giving TV customers the choice to customize the scale and fashion of subtitles and closed captions. This replace offers subscribers the power to select from three sizes — small, medium and massive — in addition to 4 kinds/colours which embrace the default white text possibility, drop shadow (white text with black background), mild (black text with white background) and distinction (yellow text with black background). The replace will roll out to TV customers globally by the tip of as we speak.

Netflix members have been beforehand solely capable of entry these subtitle and closed caption sizing and fashion choices through the net. So it’s a welcome replace for TV customers, particularly since streaming on massive screens like related TVs, good TVs and gaming consoles represented 77% of worldwide streamed minutes within the first quarter of 2022, per streaming knowledge analytics firm Conviva. Notably, 80% of Americans reported that they’re extra prone to end a video if it has captions accessible, in response to a 2019 examine by Verizon Media and Publicis Media.

Whereas it could seem to be a small replace, giving TV customers extra kinds, fonts, sizes and colours for subtitles and closed captions can considerably enhance the viewing expertise. As an illustration, discovering the fitting measurement and fashion of subtitles could make an enormous distinction for visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Notice that Netflix additionally already has a choose variety of titles with Subtitles for the Deaf and Arduous of Listening to (SDH). Subtitles and closed captions are additionally useful for viewers who might not perceive the language.

There are a ton of streaming companies that permit customers to alter the scale and fashion of subtitles, reminiscent of Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock and Discovery+, amongst others.