Česká televize expands automatic live subtitling
From 2 November, sports channel ČT sport will also receive permanent automatic subtitling.
Translated from Dutch by AI
Česká televize is expanding its automated accessibility services to live broadcasts. From 2 November 2026, permanent automatic subtitling will also be available on ČT sport; the use of audio description will also be expanded.
The Czech public broadcaster uses automatic speech recognition to generate live subtitles. Since the beginning of 2026, ČT24 has had permanent automatic subtitling on its terrestrial, satellite and internet broadcasts, with the exception of HbbTV.
The next expansion concerns ČT sport. According to Mediaguru, the service will be available there continuously from 2 November. This is particularly relevant for live news and sports broadcasts, where traditional subtitling methods are more difficult to scale.
Automatic subtitling converts spoken language into text almost immediately, but can make mistakes with proper names, rapid dialogue, background noise and multiple speakers. Česká televize therefore says it combines automated tools, human testing and user feedback.
The broadcaster is also expanding audio description. This is a separate audio track in which visual information is described for viewers with a visual impairment. The service is not provided automatically with all programmes; availability remains dependent on the programme and distribution channel.
According to its own accessibility information, in 2025 Česká televize provided subtitling for an average of 86.45 per cent of broadcasts, audio description for 20.9 per cent and interpretation in Czech Sign Language for 6.95 per cent. Those figures cover the whole of 2025 and do not specifically relate to the new expansion.
The technical development lowers the costs and production pressure of live subtitling, but shifts the quality issue towards monitoring, delay and error correction. For broadcasters introducing similar systems, integration with playout, streaming and hybrid television remains an important consideration.
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The announced expansion and the technical context have been confirmed by Mediaguru and official information from Česká televize. The text makes clear which figures are old and which new specifications are unavailable.
- Confirmed ČT sport will receive permanent automatic subtitling from 2 November 2026. — Mentioned in Mediaguru’s reporting.
- Confirmed ČT24 has had permanent automatic subtitling since the beginning of 2026. — Confirmed by Česká televize.
- Confirmed In 2025, an average of 86.45 per cent of broadcasts had subtitling and 20.9 per cent had audio description. — Mentioned in Česká televize’s official accessibility information.
- Confirmed Automatic subtitling can make mistakes with proper names, rapid dialogue and background noise. — General technical context; the official source describes improvements relating to speaker recognition, text formatting and delay.