SVG Europe

SVG Europe Audio: AI Forum – Localising Global Broadcasts

The AI Audio Forum hosted by SVG Europe focused on localising global broadcasts in light of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which becomes enforceable in 2025. Panelists from Dolby, Syncwords, Signaps, MOI and other firms discussed how broadcasters must now provide audio description, subtitling and sign‑language support for every language in which content is offered. Speakers highlighted the shift from occasional, novelty‑driven accessibility efforts to a mandatory, audience‑expected standard. They identified live sports as the toughest frontier, where latency and scale are critical. AI‑powered solutions—automatic speech‑to‑text, machine translation, real‑time sign‑language avatars, and automated audio mixing—are being deployed to meet these demands across multiple languages. Rob Oldfield emphasized that “accessibility is moving from optional to expected,” while the technical walkthrough showed a Dolby live‑playout system feeding HDR‑Atmos streams into Syncwords’ AI translation engine, then into Signaps’ live sign‑language generator, with MOI handling low‑latency video/audio encoding on AWS. The final output, encoded in AC‑4, is distributed globally via a cloud‑based playout platform. The collaboration demonstrates that broadcasters can achieve regulatory compliance and superior viewer experiences without a single vendor solution. By leveraging AI and cloud infrastructure, they can scale immersive, multi‑language audio services, opening new revenue streams and meeting the growing expectations of hearing‑ and visually‑impaired audiences worldwide.