Netflix Is Improving Its TV Services As Its TV Demand Grows

(CTN News) – It has now been made possible for Netflix TV subscribers to customize the appearance of subtitles and closed captions on the streaming platform, allowing them to adjust the size and style of the text as well as the font.

Previously announced on Wednesday, the new feature will allow you to toggle the size of subtitle text between small, medium, and large, as well as edit the overall appearance of the text to make it easier to read.

There are now three new text style options that Netflix offers in addition to the default white text, all of which have contrasting backgrounds to make this text stand out even more: Light (black text on a white background), Drop Shadow (white text on a black background), and Contrast (yellow text on a black background).

There is already an option for Netflix subscribers to customize subtitles via the web via a similar system.

As of now, the feature is also available globally to TV users, which is great news since Netflix reported in 2018 that 70 percent of its content is watched on TVs, and smart TVs and app-supported streaming boxes have only increased in popularity since then.

As with Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video, other streaming platforms such as Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max also allow users to edit their own subtitles as well.

A number of obvious accessibility benefits can be derived from this.

Netflix TV users with visual or hearing impairments, as well as those who have auditory processing disorders, can make subtitle adjustments to customize their viewing experience to meet their own needs.

As a result of making subtitles and closed captions more readable, it may also help improve concentration and focus in those who suffer from cognitive disorders or who are easily distracted.

It is also likely that a large percentage of consumers now enable subtitles when watching TV shows and movies on streaming platforms, even outside of the accessibility issue, owing to poorly mixed audio on streaming platforms.

Preply conducted a study last year in which they found that 50 percent of Americans watch content with subtitles, and 62 percent use subtitles more on streaming services than they do on television.

There are 70 percent of Gen Z users who admit they have enabled subtitles too, which suggests that these statistics don’t only apply to older, hard-of-hearing individuals.

It is likely that many more of us are going to have to start slapping on subtitles or captions to understand unintelligible on-screen conversations, unless streaming platforms take steps to improve the audio quality across their content.

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