Editing Closed captioning (section)

== History{{anchor|Open captioning}} ==
=== Open captioning ===
Regular open-captioned broadcasts began on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]'s ''[[The French Chef]]'' in 1972.<ref name="caphist">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncicap.org/caphist.asp |title=A Brief History of Captioned Television |website=National Captioning Institute |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719060406/http://www.ncicap.org/caphist.asp |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}</ref> [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]] began open captioning of the programs ''[[Zoom (1972 TV series)|Zoom]]'', ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]'', and ''[[Once Upon a Classic]]'' shortly thereafter.

=== Technical development of closed captioning ===
Closed captioning was first demonstrated in the United States at the First National Conference on Television for the Hearing Impaired at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, in December 1971.<ref name="caphist" /> A second demonstration of closed captioning was held at Gallaudet College (now [[Gallaudet University]]) on February 15, 1972, where [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and the [[National Bureau of Standards]] demonstrated closed captions embedded within a normal broadcast of ''[[The Mod Squad]]''.
At the same time in the UK the BBC was demonstrating its Ceefax text based broadcast service which they were already using as a foundation to the development of a closed caption production system. They were working with professor [[Alan Newell (English computer scientist)|Alan Newell]] from the University of Southampton who had been developing prototypes in the late 1960s.

The closed captioning system was successfully encoded and broadcast in 1973 with the cooperation of PBS station [[WETA-TV|WETA]].<ref name="caphist" /> As a result of these tests, the FCC in 1976 set aside Line 21 for the transmission of closed captions. PBS engineers then developed the caption editing consoles that would be used to caption prerecorded programs.

The [[BBC]] in the UK was the first broadcaster to include closed captions (called subtitles in the UK) in 1979 based on the [[Teletext]] framework for pre-recorded programming.

==== Real-time captioning ====
Real-time captioning, a process for captioning live broadcasts, was developed by the [[National Captioning Institute]] in 1982.<ref name="caphist" /> As developed in 1992, real-time captioning used [[stenotype]] operators who are able to type at speeds of up to 375 words per minute provide captions for live television programs, allowing the viewer to see the captions within two to three seconds of the words being spoken.

Improvements in [[speech recognition]] technology mean that live captioning may be fully or partially automated. [[BBC Sport]] broadcasts use a "respeaker": a trained human who repeats the running commentary (with careful enunciation and some simplification and [[markup language|markup]]) for input to the automated text generation system. This is generally reliable, though errors are not unknown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-41473443|title=Match of the Day 2: Newcastle subtitle error leaves BBC red-faced|date=2 October 2017|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref>

In the 1980s, [[DARPA]] sponsored a number of projects aimed at developing automatic speech recognition software. Much of this work was done by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. In the 1990s, this program included a novel focus of using this technology for news transcription purposes.<ref>{{cite journal|pages=191–192|title=Speech Recognition by Machine: A Review|volume=6|number=3|year=2009|journal=International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security|arxiv=1001.2267 |last1=Anusuya |first1=M. A. |last2=Katti |first2=S. K. }}</ref> Later developments have yielded live, real-time AI-based captioning generating systems.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339817/vlc-player-automatic-ai-subtitling-translation|title=VLC player demos real-time AI subtitling for videos}}</ref>

=== Full-scale closed captioning ===
The National Captioning Institute was created in 1979 in order to get the cooperation of the commercial television networks.<ref name="caphist"/>

The first use of regularly scheduled closed captioning on American television occurred on March 16, 1980.<ref>Gannon, Jack. 1981. ''Deaf Heritage-A Narrative History of Deaf America''. Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, pp. 384-387</ref> [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] developed the line-21 decoder, a decoding unit that could be connected to a standard television set. This was sold commercially by [[Sears]] under the name Telecaption.<ref>{{cite book|title=Developing Technologies for Television Captioning|page=166|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Developing_Technologies_for_Television_C/h_kEbqTWTjgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=telecaption+adapter+PBS+developed&pg=PA166&printsec=frontcover}}</ref> The first programs seen with captioning were a ''[[Walt Disney anthology series|Disney's Wonderful World]]'' presentation of the film ''[[Son of Flubber]]'' on [[NBC]], an ''[[The ABC Sunday Night Movie|ABC Sunday Night Movie]]'' airing of ''[[Semi-Tough]]'', and ''[[Masterpiece Theatre]]'' on PBS.<ref>"Today on TV", ''Chicago Daily Herald'', March 11, 1980, Section 2-5</ref>

Since 2010 the BBC provides captioning for all programming across all seven of its main broadcast channels [[BBC One]], [[BBC Two]], [[BBC Three]], [[BBC Four]], [[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]], [[CBeebies]] and [[BBC News (British TV channel)|BBC News]].

[[BBC iPlayer]] launched in 2008 as the first captioned [[video on demand|video-on-demand]] service from a major broadcaster with levels of captioning comparable to those provided on its broadcast channels.

=== Legislative development in the U.S. ===
Until the passage of the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, television captioning was performed by a set-top box manufactured by Sanyo Electric and marketed by the National Captioning Institute (NCI). (At that time a set-top decoder cost about as much as a TV set itself, approximately $200.) Through discussions with the manufacturer it was established that the appropriate circuitry integrated into the television set would be less expensive than the stand-alone box, and Ronald May, then a Sanyo employee, provided the expert witness testimony on behalf of Sanyo and Gallaudet University in support of the passage of the bill. On January 23, 1991, the [[Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990]] was passed by Congress.<ref name="caphist"/> This Act gave the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) power to enact rules on the implementation of closed captioning. This Act required all analog television receivers with screens of at least 13&nbsp;inches or greater, either sold or manufactured, to have the ability to display closed captioning by July 1, 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.24-decoderact.htm|title=Crossing at Roundabouts - United States Access Board|website=www.access-board.gov|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=2020-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105232853/https://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.24-decoderact.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Also, in 1990, the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] (ADA) was passed to ensure equal opportunity for persons with disabilities.<ref name="caphist" /> The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in public accommodations or commercial facilities. Title III of the ADA requires that public facilities—such as hospitals, bars, shopping centers and museums (but not movie theaters)—provide access to verbal information on televisions, films and slide shows.

The Federal Communications Commission requires all providers of programs to caption material which has audio in English or Spanish, with certain exceptions specified in Section 79.1(d) of the commission's rules. These exceptions apply to new networks; programs in languages other than English or Spanish; networks having to spend over 2% of income on captioning; networks having less than US$3,000,000 in revenue; and certain local programs; among other exceptions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcc.gov/general/self-implementing-exemptions-closed-captioning-rules|title=Self Implementing Exemptions From Closed Captioning Rules|date=July 8, 2011|website=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> Those who are not covered by the exceptions may apply for a hardship waiver.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcc.gov/economically-burdensome-exemption-closed-captioning-requirements|title=Economically Burdensome Exemption from Closed Captioning Requirements|date=May 30, 2017|website=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref>

The [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]] expanded on the Decoder Circuitry Act to place the same requirements on [[digital television]] receivers by July 1, 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/closed-captioning-television|title=Closed Captioning on Television|date=May 6, 2011|website=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> All TV programming distributors in the U.S. are required to provide closed captions for Spanish-language video programming as of January 1, 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-79/subpart-A/section-79.1|title=§ 79.1 Closed captioning of televised video programming.|work=[[Code of Federal Regulations]]}}</ref>

A bill, H.R. 3101, the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, was passed by the United States House of Representatives in July 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010|year=2010|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr3101|access-date=2013-03-28|archive-date=2023-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024400/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr3101|url-status=dead}}</ref> A similar bill, S. 3304, with the same name, was passed by the United States Senate on August 5, 2010 and by the House of Representatives on September 28, 2010, and was signed by President [[Barack Obama]] on October 8, 2010. The Act requires, in part, any [[Advanced Television Systems Committee standards|ATSC]]-decoding set-top box remote to have a button to turn the closed captioning in the output signal on or off. It also requires broadcasters to provide captioning for television programs redistributed on the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010|year=2010|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/s3304|access-date=2013-03-28|archive-date=2023-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024406/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/s3304|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 20, 2014, the FCC unanimously approved the implementation of quality standards for closed captioning,<ref>{{cite web|title=FCC Moves to Upgrade TV Closed Captioning Quality|year=2014|url=https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-moves-upgrade-tv-closed-captioning-quality}}</ref> addressing accuracy, timing, completeness, and placement. This is the first time the FCC has addressed quality issues in captions.

In 2015, a law was passed in Hawaii requiring two screenings a week of each movie with captions on the screen. In 2022 a law took effect in New York City requiring movie theaters to offer captions on the screen for up to four showtimes per movie each week, including weekends and Friday nights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-95d57b9ad5d17246d50d84c84c3127d5|title=Why captions are suddenly everywhere and how they got there|date=June 27, 2022|website=AP NEWS}}</ref>

Some state and local governments (including [[Boston, Massachusetts]]; [[Portland, Oregon]]; [[Rochester, New York]]; and [[Washington (state)|the State of Washington]]) require closed captioning to be activated on TVs in public places at all times, even if no one has requested it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/22/boston-closed-captioning-tvs/ |title=More cities are requiring captions on public TVs. Here's why that matters. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

===Philippines===
As amended by RA 10905, all TV networks in the Philippines are required to provide closed captions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kbp.org.ph/philippine-tv-to-provide-closed-captioning|title=Philippine TV to Provide Closed Captioning – Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas|website=www.kbp.org.ph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117173613/https://www.kbp.org.ph/philippine-tv-to-provide-closed-captioning|archive-date=2023-11-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2018, the three major TV networks in the country are currently testing the closed captioning system on their transmissions. [[ABS-CBN]] added closed captions in their daily ''[[Chaplet of the Divine Mercy|3 O'Clock Habit]]'' in the afternoon. [[TV5 (Philippine TV network)|TV5]] started implementing closed captions on their live noon and nightly news programs. [[GMA Network|GMA]] once broadcast news programs with closed captions but since stopped. Only select [[Korean drama]] and local or foreign movies, ''{{Lang|tl|Biyahe ni}} Drew'' (English title ''Drew's Travel Adventure'') and ''{{lang|tl|Idol sa Kusina}}'' (English title ''Kitchen Idol'') are broadcast with proper closed captioning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yugatech.com/news/gma-tv5-now-airing-shows-with-closed-captioning/#SlhAodUTy5JM4oD4.99|title=GMA, TV5 now airing shows with closed captioning
|author=Carl Lamiel|date=October 14, 2017|publisher=YugaTech|access-date=February 2, 2019}}</ref>

Since 2016 all Filipino-language films, as well as some streaming services, like iWant, have included English subtitles in some showings. The law regarding this was proposed by Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr., a lawmaker from Cebu City, who had implemented the regulations on standardizing both official languages of the Philippines, as the people had not mastered English vocabulary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/40688-lawmaker-wants-english-subtitles-ph-tv-movies|title=Lawmaker wants English subtitles for PH TV, movies|date=October 6, 2013|publisher=[[Rappler]]|access-date=September 6, 2019}}</ref>

=== Legislative development in Australia ===
The government of Australia provided [[seed funding]] in 1981 for the establishment of the Australian Caption Centre (ACC) and the purchase of equipment. Captioning by the ACC commenced in 1982 and a further grant from the Australian government enabled the ACC to achieve and maintain financial self-sufficiency. The ACC, now known as [[Media Access Australia]], sold its commercial captioning division to [[Red Bee Media]] in December 2005. Red Bee Media continues to provide captioning services in Australia today.<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/84710/Media_Access_Australia_-_Response_to_Media_Access_Review_2008.pdf
 |title = Submission to DBCDE's investigation into Access to Electronic Media for the Hearing and Vision Impaired
 |access-date = 2009-02-07
 |author1 = Alex Varley
 |date = June 2008
 |publisher = Media Access Australia
 |location = Australia
 |pages = 12, 18, 43
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326214643/http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/84710/Media_Access_Australia_-_Response_to_Media_Access_Review_2008.pdf
 |archive-date = 2009-03-26
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=359&Itemid=100|title=About Media Access Australia|publisher=Media Access Australia|location=Australia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101180233/http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=359&Itemid=100|archive-date=1 January 2009|access-date=2009-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redbeemedia.com.au/aboutus-australia.html |title=About Red Bee Media Australia |access-date=2009-02-07 |publisher=Red Bee Media Australia Pty Limited |location=Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090613004348/http://www.redbeemedia.com.au/aboutus-australia.html |archive-date=June 13, 2009 }}</ref>

=== Funding development in New Zealand ===
In 1981, [[TVNZ]] held a [[telethon]] to raise funds for Teletext-encoding equipment used for the creation and editing of text-based broadcast services for the deaf. The service came into use in 1984 with caption creation and importing paid for as part of the public broadcasting fee until the creation of the [[NZ On Air]] taxpayer fund, which is used to provide captioning for NZ On Air content and TVNZ news shows and for conversion of [[EIA-608]] US captions to the preferred [[EBU]] STL format for only [[TVNZ 1]], [[TV 2 (New Zealand)|TV 2]] and [[TV3 (New Zealand)|TV 3]] with archived captions available to [[Four (New Zealand)|FOUR]] and select [[SKY Network Television|Sky]] programming. During the second half of 2012, [[TV3 (New Zealand)|TV3]] and [[Four (New Zealand)|FOUR]] began providing non-Teletext DVB image-based captions on their HD service and used the same format on the satellite service, which has since caused major timing issues in relation to server load and the loss of captions from most SD DVB-S receivers, such as the ones Sky Television provides their customers. As of April 2, 2013, only the Teletext page 801 caption service will remain in use with the informational Teletext non-caption content being discontinued.