The number of people using subtitles is 'magnitudes bigger' than what you would anticipate due to people with hearing impairments, 'the question is why? says Dr Andrew Hines, Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at UCD and lead investigator on a collaborative project at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, looking at streaming content quality and the growing use of subtitles. Manage Preferencesįrom RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, RTÉ Gold's Rick O'Shea and Entertainment.ie's Deirdre Molumby on watching foreign language series and films dubbed or subbed

Please review their details and accept them to load the content. We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. A Vox poll found a lot of people feel they simply can’t understand what’s being said. Looking at why people might choose to use subtitles, 66% of the people surveyed use subtitles to better understand the storyline, while 40% of people said using captions helps them improve their concentration, and this was more common in younger audiences. A recent YouGov survey of 3,600 people found 61% of people aged 18 to 24 watch TV in their native language with subtitles on, falling to 31% for 25 to 49-year-olds, 13% for those aged 50 to 65 and going back up to 22% for people aged 65 and over.Īnother study found 85% of Netflix customers in the UK used subtitles while streaming, 54% used them on Amazon Prime, while 37% used subtitles on Disney Plus. Netflix says 40% of viewers have closed caption subtitling on all the time, while 80% of viewers use them at least once a month. The numbers differ, but so far surveys suggest the same conclusion: most of us are using subtitles and younger viewers in particular appear to be driving the trend. If you find yourself turning on subtitles when you’re watching TV, rest assured you’re not alone: use of subtitles has gone through the roof. Analysis: No, it's not just you: TV and film dialogue are now harder to hear and the use of subtitles has gone through the roof

Fall of the Citizens by Eric Thomas