Take 1 Appointed Approved Services Providers

Take 1 has been appointed as an approved access services provider for Discovery Networks in the UK.

The transcription, access and localization services provider has been selected to provide hard of hearing captioning services to support the growing inventory of discovery+ content streamed to UK audiences.

Media and entertainment businesses have entrusted Take 1 with their scripting and localization services for over two decades. Recently, the company has embarked on an ambitious expansion of its access and localization services, including making a number of senior hires, partnering with local studios and vendors across multiple territories and acquiring US-based transcription and captioning company, Verb8tm. Take 1’s selection as an approved access services provider to Discovery Networks follows a competitive tender process.

"Take 1 has been a trusted supplier of transcription services to Discovery for many years and have always provided high quality content and excellent service to our teams," said Amanda Smith, VP of languaging strategy at Discovery. "We're confident that they will apply the same dedication and commitment to quality when providing access services for discovery+."

The discovery+ streaming service launched in the UK in late 2020 and around the world early in 2021, featuring content from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, ID, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and Discovery History as well as free-to-air brands Quest, Really, Quest Red, HGTV, Food Network and DMax. While there are currently no legal requirements for providers of on-demand programming services in the UK to make their content accessible to viewers with hearing or visual impairments, OFCOM recently concluded consultation on recommendations they are preparing to present to Government in this regard. The recommendations being considered are that on-demand providers must provide subtitles on 40% of their programmes, audio description on 5% and signing on 2.5% within two years of the rules being introduced. After two more years, these quotas could increase to 80%, 10% and 5% respectively. The targets that discovery+ have set for themselves, and which Take 1 will help deliver, will put the platform way ahead of these requirements .

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