Why not use consumer caption tools?

Broadcast subtitling has reading-speed caps, shot-change timing, speaker IDs, and delivery specs that consumer AI captions ignore.

Will this fit our existing subtitle software?

The workflow delivers editor-ready files. Your team keeps the tools they already sign off in. We do not force a new playout chain.

How is quality controlled?

Automatic checks for timing and house rules, then a human editor. Nothing ships because a model said it was fine.

Broadcasters and media companies that subtitle English-language programmes into Dutch at volume — series, films, and acquisitions.

What did Play Media measure?

82% time saved and 80% cost reduction on their English-to-Dutch subtitle workflow, with editors still approving the final cues.

Can we keep our house style?

Yes. House rules are inputs, not afterthoughts. The draft is constrained before an editor opens the file.

AI subtitles for broadcasters · by ThinkTank

Broadcast-ready. Final review only.

Undertitle is an AI subtitling workflow for broadcasters. English content becomes Dutch subtitles that follow your rules. Your team only does the final editorial check.

Broadcast-ready subtitles

Built for the people who ship the file.

AI drafts the repetitive timing and translation. Quality control and house rules stay in the loop. That is AI captions for television without handing the air to a model.

Ingest the programme.: Drop the English master. The workflow prepares a timed Dutch draft, not a wall of untimed text.
Apply house rules.: Reading speed, line length, hyphenation, and speaker labels are constraints, not suggestions.
Editors keep the final word.: Humans approve what airs. AI never publishes a cue on its own.
English to Dutch, on purpose.: One language pair, treated as a craft. Not a 50-language afterthought.
Subtitle quality control.: Automatic flags for timing clashes and rule breaks, then a human pass.
Fits the broadcast chain.: Deliver the format your MAM, QC, and playout already expect.

Human-in-the-loop subtitling

What broadcasters actually need

The job is not “generate captions.” The job is a file that survives QC, matches the house, and does not embarrass the channel.

Reading speed: Cues stay inside the speeds your audience can actually read.
Shot changes: Timing respects cuts instead of drifting across them.
Line breaks: Dutch lines break where the language breaks, not where a model ran out of width.
Speaker IDs: Labels follow your convention, including when to omit them.
Forced narratives: On-screen English can be handled as a separate pass, not mixed into dialogue.
QC before delivery: Flags for overlaps, gaps, and rule breaks before the editor spends time hunting them.
Volume without chaos: Series batches move as a workflow, not as a pile of one-off files.
Measured, not promised: Play Media recorded 82% time saved and 80% lower cost on this exact kind of work.

The problem

Volume went up. The rules did not get looser.

Acquired English programmes still need Dutch subtitles that look like they belong on your channel. Editors should not spend the night fixing machine output that ignored the house book.

A generic AI caption dump creates more work than it removes: retiming, rewriting, and a QC round that feels like starting over. Undertitle is the opposite shape. The model does the repetitive draft. The editor does the judgement.

Draft first. AI produces timed Dutch that already aims at your rules.
Then a human. Editors correct tone, names, jokes, and anything the model should not decide.
Then a file. You deliver broadcast-ready subtitles, not a conversation with a chatbot.

That is why the Play Media numbers are usable. They came from a production workflow, not a demo reel.

Start with a pilot, not a migration.

Pick one series. Run it through your house rules. Let your editors score the output. Expand only if the file is cheaper and cleaner than the old path.

Frequently asked questions

Have a different question? Request a pilot and we will answer it on your material.

Why not use consumer caption tools?: Broadcast subtitling has reading-speed caps, shot-change timing, speaker IDs, and delivery specs that consumer AI captions ignore.
Will this fit our existing subtitle software?: The workflow delivers editor-ready files. Your team keeps the tools they already sign off in. We do not force a new playout chain.
How is quality controlled?: Automatic checks for timing and house rules, then a human editor. Nothing ships because a model said it was fine.
Who is this for?: Broadcasters and media companies that subtitle English-language programmes into Dutch at volume — series, films, and acquisitions.
What did Play Media measure?: 82% time saved and 80% cost reduction on their English-to-Dutch subtitle workflow, with editors still approving the final cues.
Can we keep our house style?: Yes. House rules are inputs, not afterthoughts. The draft is constrained before an editor opens the file.