From the AI Evolution to Gen Z’s Closed Caption Expectations: 3Play Media co-CEOs Share Their 2024 Media Accessibility Predictions
Each year, 3Play Media co-founders and co-CEOs, Chris Antunes and Josh Miller, share their insights and predictions for the evolving media accessibility landscape. From government actions to advancements in AI to Gen Z’s closed captioning expectations, their 2024 media accessibility predictions are focused on evolutionary progress in video accessibility solutions and policies in the U.S. and beyond. In this blog, we delve into the tech CEOs’ top seven predictions and explore what they mean for the accessibility industry.
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1. The Government Will Move Quickly Ahead of the Next Election Cycle to Make Decisions on Proposed Laws
Chris and Josh believe there could be swift government actions on proposed laws like the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA) ahead of the next election cycle. With the ADA being decades old at this point, the co-CEOs highlighted the need to align regulations with today’s digital reality. They believe that 2024 will bring about important legal decisions that will help shape the future of video accessibility, such as:
- What is good enough when it comes to video accessibility solutions?
- What are the requirements?
- How much content should be accessible?
- What is the role of AI in video accessibility? Is AI a viable solution?
2. 2024 Will Be an Evolutionary Rather Than a Revolutionary Year for AI
Chris and Josh foresee 2024 as an evolutionary year for AI rather than a revolutionary year, emphasizing the integration of the numerous AI-based models that emerged in 2023. The success of AI’s media accessibility evolution will hinge on secure, responsible, ethical, and high-quality integration and supervision. Chris noted that “the companies that win will focus on great user experience and, again, supervising these models in a secure and high-quality manner.”
3. Dubbing Will Finally Arrive as a Viable Globalization Path in the Corporate Space
Our co-CEOs predict that dubbing will finally become a viable globalization solution in the corporate space. Enabled by advancements in voice quality and AI capabilities, new opportunities will emerge for video publishers to engage audiences worldwide. Dubbing has traditionally been cost-prohibitive for many companies, but 2024 holds promising AI advancements that could help organizations move beyond subtitling to make this localization solution attainable.
4. The NAD vs SiriusXM Lawsuit Will Be Resolved in 2024 and Will Not Only Establish Precedent in the Podcast Space But Also on Acceptance of ASR
Josh and Chris believe that the NAD vs SiriusXM lawsuit has the potential to make a big impact in the world of podcasting this year. Beyond establishing precedent in the podcast space, the legal outcome of NAD vs SiriusXM is additionally expected to influence the acceptance of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) in scalable transcription workflows. When fully resolved, the case could help to better spotlight podcast accessibility and responsible automation practices in transcription.
5. Production Studios and Major Streaming Providers Will Increasingly Turn to International Content and Distribution Opportunities
Josh and Chris draw from the entertainment industry’s growing trend of globalization in making their next prediction. Driven by factors like strikes and the reliance on domestic production cycles, our CEOs believe that production studios and major streaming providers will increasingly turn to international content and distribution opportunities. This shift reflects the industry’s recognition of the potential in international production workflows and the ease of global content distribution.
6. With AI improvements in Voice Output and Image Identification, AI-Powered Solutions Will Emerge for Accessibility Products
In their sixth prediction, Chris and Josh highlight the emergence of AI-powered solutions for accessibility products like American Sign Language (ASL), dubbing, image description, and audio description. Because of the notable quality improvements in AI capabilities and language models over the last year, these solutions are expected to gain greater acceptance by both vendors and customers in 2024.
7. Gen Z Students and Employees Will Expect Closed Captioning By Default to Be Present in All Videos They Consume
Our co-CEOs’ final prediction focuses on user expectations, specifically among Gen Z students and employees. Josh notes that Gen Z students and employees are digital accessibility natives:
In addition to Gen Z’s tech-savvy nature, Chris and Josh add that the growing number of students and employees with invisible disabilities will additionally push the high expectations for video accessibility in the classroom and workplace.
As 3Play Media’s co-CEOs share their predictions for the video accessibility landscape in 2024, it’s evident that the industry is poised for significant developments. From legal resolutions and advancements in AI to changing user expectations, Chris’s and Josh’s predictions provide valuable insights for the path accessibility initiatives might take in the coming year. Watch Chris and Josh talk about their 2024 media accessibility predictions in full:
Looking for an audio described version of this video? We’ve got you covered.
This blog was originally published by Rebecca Klein in December 2021 as “Video and Media Accessibility Predictions for 2022.” This post is updated annually to reflect 3Play Media co-CEOs’ new predictions and for comprehensiveness, clarity, and accuracy.
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