BT Sport joins Red Bee hive

Red Bee Media’s automated subtitling service, ARC (Automatic Real-time Captioning) is to be used with BT Sport content. 

The pair have agreed a deal that should see about 200 extra hours of the broadcaster’s content subtitled, in what is the first time a major UK broadcaster has turned to the automated service. 

The automated service will be put into use from September 2022, and will support a wide range of live sports coverage alongside Red Bee Media’s existing human subtitling service.

Jamie Hindhaugh, head of BT Sport, said: “We are working hard to make our programming as accessible as possible – viewers can expect to see more developments this season. Our use of ARC builds on our landmark broadcasts of The FA Disability Cup over the last two years, which at the time were the most accessible live broadcasts of football matches to date in the UK.”

Tom Wootton, head of product for Red Bee Access, added: “Providing equal access to content for all viewers is vital for successful and progressive brands. BT Sport has been at the forefront of providing accessible content for several years with Red Bee Media, so we’re delighted to strengthen that partnership with the broadcaster once again as it expands its offering. At Red Bee Media, we pride ourselves on our innovation and global team of experts, who bring unrivalled resilience, reliability and industry-leading quality.”

This news appears to show that BT Sport is continuing to make independent agreements, after its joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery was formalised last week.