Ai-Media launches live subtitling with GB News
February 16, 2023
Ai-Media, a specialist in live subtitling, transcription and translation solutions, has launched 24/7 live subtitling on GB News. The broadcaster becomes the first in the UK to simplify subtitle delivery with Ai-Media’s end-to-end subtitling technology and market leading infrastructure.
GB News launched in 2021. It is available free on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview, Freesat, YouView, via Apps, and on social media including GB News live feed on YouTube.
GB News now subtitles its 24/7 coverage with up to 98.5 per cent accuracy thanks to Ai-Media’s Smart Lexi hybrid subtitling solution, which combines ASR automation with expert human curation. Smart Lexi subtitles are delivered to screens via Ai-Media’s iCap Encode Pro SDI encoder and its iCap Network – the largest and most reliable subtitle delivery network in the world.
Trusted by major broadcasters worldwide, Ai-Media’s end-to-end subtitling technology and infrastructure helps ensure simplified production workflows and reliable, low-latency subtitle display, while reducing operational costs.
GB News decided to invest in subtitles due to its commitment to be accessible to all viewers across the UK, choosing Ai-Media for its ability to deliver high accuracy subtitles at significantly lower cost than traditional human subtitles.
Ai-Media’s General Manager – Global Strategic Accounts, Mark Lovatt, said: “We are extremely pleased that GB News has become the first UK broadcaster to subtitle its 24/7 coverage with Ai-Media’s end-to-end range of subtitling technology and infrastructure. Ai-Media has for decades been the leading subtitling vendor for broadcasters in the EMEA, Americas and APAC regions, providing all the software, hardware and human services they need in one place.
“By partnering with Ai-Media, GB News will benefit from the best of our ASR technology, encoder hardware and subtitling infrastructure to simplify subtitle delivery and ensure accessibility for its millions of viewers in the UK, Ireland and around the globe.”
GB News CEO Angelos Frangopoulos said: “As The People’s Channel, it is hugely important to us to include all voices across the United Kingdom, especially beyond London. While we always planned subtitles, we brought them forward when viewers contacted us in their hundreds to request better accessibility to GB News.”
GB News Head of Technology and Operations, Stephen Willmott, said the company chose Ai-Media’s Smart Lexi because it combines the speed of ASR automation with the accuracy of expert human curation.
“The combination of AI technology with human oversight means that after an initial bedding down period, our captions will be 98.5% accurate,” said Willmott. “We committed to this a while ago. It’s great to be able to launch them now and viewers have already told us how delighted they are.”