A popular trend now is for major networks to have companion web series for their popular shows. The regular show is closed captioned online, but not the companion web series! Under the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, we have NO LEGAL WAY to force the captioning of the companion web series.
This week, NBC launched its companion web series for The Office, "Podcast." Caption Action 2 double-checked the regular series (captioned) and the web series (not captioned). Why is it that the producers will invest in captioning for the regular series, but not the web series? Are deaf and hard of hearing consumers THAT unimportant to them?
Also, just weeks ago, ABC introduced its own companion web series for their show Cougar Town, "Andy's Dreams." There was heavy promotion for ABC's new web series. In fact, the ABC.com home page has a promotion under Featured. Again, the regular show has captions while the web series does not!
The most frustrating thing about this is that the networks routinely caption their regular programs - but not the shorter web series! Yet web series are growing in importance and popularity. We can't let deaf and hard of hearing viewers be left out and forgotten! We've got to get through to the major networks on web series captions, or we won't have much hope of convincing smaller online channels to caption their web series. The example must be set by the major networks!
COMPLAIN to ABC and NBC! If enough of us complain, they will get the message that they can't just simply ignore us as viewers! How to complain:
On NBC, go to http://www.nbc.com/contact/general/ and select the show from the pulldown list.
On ABC, go to http://abc.go.com/site/contact-us and select the show.
Can CBS be far behind with their own show companion web series? Probably not, considering how much publicity ABC and NBC are getting from their own companion web series.
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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Caption Action 2: January 2011 Newsletter
This is the Caption Action 2 newsletter for January 2011.
Caption Action 2 Hits 15,000 Members
Caption Action 2 now has over 15,000 members. The slow but steady growth of Caption Action 2 reflects increasing awareness among people of Internet television and the lack of captions on Internet television.
Web Series Contacts
December through early January was a rather fruitless period for getting web series producers to caption. The few contacts made were targeted ones.
Read more:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/624919?m=3a57449a
Join Caption Action 2
Join Caption Action 2 on Facebook!
Caption Action 2 Hits 15,000 Members
Caption Action 2 now has over 15,000 members. The slow but steady growth of Caption Action 2 reflects increasing awareness among people of Internet television and the lack of captions on Internet television.
Web Series Contacts
December through early January was a rather fruitless period for getting web series producers to caption. The few contacts made were targeted ones.
Read more:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/624919?m=3a57449a
Join Caption Action 2
Join Caption Action 2 on Facebook!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
YouTube Buying Next New Networks. What Does It Mean?
Today the New York Times reported that YouTube is in talks to buy Next New Networks. What does this mean for the deaf and hard of hearing community? First we have to look at why YouTube is doing this and its significance, then look at what it could mean for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Why and Significance of the Purchase
YouTube buying Next New Networks could be a game changer. When a company of YouTube's caliber buys a web series network, it sends a message. That message is, web series have grown enough in popularity and importance that we want to own the network that hosts them. These days, popular web series can get more views than regular television programs. YouTube is doing this because YouTube wants to become a content owner of professional video without actually producing the content.
This is significant because it echoes the Disney-ABC business model. YouTube is becoming like Disney, a parent company, and Next New Networks is becoming like ABC. Like Disney, YouTube would not actually produce the content. Like ABC, Next New Networks does not actually produce the content but hosts it for outside producers.
Caption Action 2 predicts that if YouTube succeeds in buying Next New Networks, other web series networks could be sought after by companies. We predict that Microsoft, AOL, or Yahoo will seek to buy web series networks. If this happens, we will see the formation of parent company-web series network relationships that will result in the ABC, NBC, and CBS of the web.
Possible Implications for Deaf/HOH Community
What could this mean for the deaf and hard of hearing community's efforts to get web series closed captioned? Caption Action 2 thinks it could have a positive impact. Right now, one problem with getting companies to caption web series is that the producers are often small, and have limited resources. This limitation could be overcome when the web series' network hosts are owned by wealthier corporate parents.
How captioning paid for now with regular television networks? Jamie once asked that question and was told that it varies - sometimes the network pays, sometimes the producer, sometimes the cost is shared between the network and the producer. So theoretically, if YouTube owns Next New Networks, YouTube could pay for, or share the cost of, captioning web series hosted by Next New Networks, with Next New Networks.
Therefore, it will become harder for the "we can't afford it" argument to be made. As an analogy, look at the situation of a deaf person needing an interpreter at a medical office. The doctor's office may claim they can't afford the interpreter, but the law looks at the TOTAL resources - if the doctor's office is part of a network of medical offices, the law looks at the total resources of the network. Ergo, instead of trying to hold the individual tiny producers responsible for captioning of web series, we may be able to hold the wealthy corporate parent responsible for ensuring captioning.
Join Caption Action 2
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Why and Significance of the Purchase
YouTube buying Next New Networks could be a game changer. When a company of YouTube's caliber buys a web series network, it sends a message. That message is, web series have grown enough in popularity and importance that we want to own the network that hosts them. These days, popular web series can get more views than regular television programs. YouTube is doing this because YouTube wants to become a content owner of professional video without actually producing the content.
This is significant because it echoes the Disney-ABC business model. YouTube is becoming like Disney, a parent company, and Next New Networks is becoming like ABC. Like Disney, YouTube would not actually produce the content. Like ABC, Next New Networks does not actually produce the content but hosts it for outside producers.
Caption Action 2 predicts that if YouTube succeeds in buying Next New Networks, other web series networks could be sought after by companies. We predict that Microsoft, AOL, or Yahoo will seek to buy web series networks. If this happens, we will see the formation of parent company-web series network relationships that will result in the ABC, NBC, and CBS of the web.
Possible Implications for Deaf/HOH Community
What could this mean for the deaf and hard of hearing community's efforts to get web series closed captioned? Caption Action 2 thinks it could have a positive impact. Right now, one problem with getting companies to caption web series is that the producers are often small, and have limited resources. This limitation could be overcome when the web series' network hosts are owned by wealthier corporate parents.
How captioning paid for now with regular television networks? Jamie once asked that question and was told that it varies - sometimes the network pays, sometimes the producer, sometimes the cost is shared between the network and the producer. So theoretically, if YouTube owns Next New Networks, YouTube could pay for, or share the cost of, captioning web series hosted by Next New Networks, with Next New Networks.
Therefore, it will become harder for the "we can't afford it" argument to be made. As an analogy, look at the situation of a deaf person needing an interpreter at a medical office. The doctor's office may claim they can't afford the interpreter, but the law looks at the TOTAL resources - if the doctor's office is part of a network of medical offices, the law looks at the total resources of the network. Ergo, instead of trying to hold the individual tiny producers responsible for captioning of web series, we may be able to hold the wealthy corporate parent responsible for ensuring captioning.
Join Caption Action 2
Join Caption Action 2 on Facebook!
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