Subtitle speed in the spotlight. The case of streaming services

This paper reports on the main findings of a study examining the speed at which subtitles are currently delivered on two of the main streaming platforms: Netflix and Prime Video. It focuses on seven languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan) and six genres (Drama, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Action & Adventure, Romance, and Documentary) to explore how subtitle speed varies across platforms, languages and genres. Our analysis of over 1,500,000 subtitles provides an accurate picture of the average subtitle speed and percentage of fast subtitles (over 15, 17 and 20 characters per second) found on these popular platforms. Furthermore, in light of recent reception studies carried out with several groups of hearing individuals, the article discusses potential effects of the current subtitle speed.