Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How Take 1 helps broadcasters and streaming services meet the demand for subtitled and localised content

02/12/2021

TVBEurope talks to Take 1 CEO Louise Tapia about the companys work providing subtitle and localisation services to broadcasters and streaming services, as well as how it supports production companies in the creation and delivery of their content

By Jenny Priestley

Published: December 2, 2021 Updated: December 7, 2021

TVBEurope talks to Take 1 CEO Louise Tapia about the company's work providing subtitle and localisation services to broadcasters and streaming services, as well as how it supports production companies in the creation and delivery of their content

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

A recent study by captioning charity Stagetext found that 80 per cent of 18 to 25 year olds in the UK use subtitles some or all of the time. Whether that's because subtitles help viewers understand dialogue more effectively, or they help audiences concentrate on the TV show or film they're watching, it seems subtitles are an important part of content from both broadcasters and streaming services.

Launched in 1998 by Dom Bourne, Take 1 is best known for providing transcription and translation services to media and entertainment companies including Discovery Inc, ITV Studios, BBC Studios, National Geographic Channel, A&E Networks and Peacock.

In the company's early days, video was shot on tape and the only way to log or view footage after the shoot was to either book expensive playback machines by the hour or transfer footage to VHS with burnt-in-time-code.

Take 1 offered an alternative - and more effective way for production companies to prepare for edit. Instead of spending hours viewing VHS dubs of their shoot footage, producers sent these tapes to Take 1 where Bourne and his team would transcribe the time codes, dialogue and action onto paper. These transcriptions were then posted or biked back to Soho and used to prepare paper edits.

Fast-forward to the present day, Take 1 continues to provide transcription, access and localisation services to the international media and entertainment industry under the leadership of CEO, Louise Tapia. With offices in the UK and US and a global workforce, the company leverages digital technology and data-driven workflows to provide high quality, artisan services at scale.

We support production companies in the production and delivery of their content; we help broadcasters, networks and streaming platforms ensure that their content is accessible to all audiences, and we help content distributors create global content for any platform, Tapia tells TVBEurope.

Take 1 transcribes and translates shoot rushes for production teams, journalists and documentary-makers so that they can prepare storylines, find soundbites and cut down the time spent wrangling high volumes of content and multilingual stories in the edit suite. We also create as broadcast' or post production scripts which include a timecoded transcription of all dialogue, captions, credits, music cues and other information based on each project's specific requirements. We provide these to production companies at either picture-lock or final edit stages for deliverable compliance and to networks to facilitate localisation.

Louise Tapia The company's access services include video captions and audio descriptions to make content accessible to hard of hearing or visually impaired audiences. Our clients in this space include production companies, vendor partners and broadcasters, networks and streaming platforms, adds Tapia. Finally, we provide high-quality translations, subtitles, dubbing services and foreign language audio descriptions as part of our localisation services to help content producers, distributors, networks and streaming platforms reach international audiences with global content.

Take 1's workflows combine the company's multi-skilled teams alongside AI integrated technologies - some of which have been developed in-house while others are recognised and utilised across the industry.

Our proprietary metadata harvesting platform, Liberty, is integral to our data-driven approach it supports the production of XML-based post production scripts, TTML timed text for captioning, and the re-purposing of this data into the various documents, files and reports needed throughout the global content production workflow, explains Tapia.

The Take 1 cloud provides a secure-by-design web-based interface for our clients to transfer video assets to Take 1, add comments or instructions for specific projects or media files, monitor the status of work in progress and retrieve completed outputs.

The team also employs some third-party tools, including Xytech's MediaPulse to co-ordinate high volumes of content across the organisation, and products from Ooona and Starfish Technologies to support its access services. Using VoiceQ and ProTools, we can bring voice artists from home setups and partner studios anywhere in the world into one recording session for dubbing or audio description projects, she adds. These industry tools are componentised so that we can easily swap out technologies to always ensure we're using best of breed, accommodate changing requirements and work according to our customers' preferences.

Back in September, Take 1 announced plans to expand its localisation and access services departments. Recent mergers in the sector have created a gap in the market for boutique service providers with an artisan approach and an already substantial appetite for international programming was amplified in 2020 when Covid-19 restrictions reduced new content production, Tapia explains. Localisation and access service workflows are also becoming increasingly data-driven, an approach pioneered by Take 1 and underpinned by the transcription data that the company provides.

The expansion has so far included t
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/how-take-1-helps-broadcaster...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

24/09/2026

NABA To Convene Cyber University 2.0 To Address Cybersecurity Strategies

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Big Blue Marble Makes the Origin of Austrian Parliament V...

Viewers watching videos from the Austrian Parliament online will soon find it easier to verify the authenticity of the content. Big Blue Marble, an internationa...

24/09/2026

nsign and Sony collaborate to simplify digital signage de...

nsign, the digital signage SaaS platform built around its Simplify Complexity principle, is now officially certified for BRAVIA Professional Displays from Son...

24/09/2026

Viaplay Selects Encompass Altitude Scheduling to Transfor...

Encompass Digital Media today announced the successful migration of multiple Viaplay free-to-air channels, including TV3, TV6, TV8 and TV10, to its Altitude Sch...

24/09/2026

Standalone Streaming Services Continue to Decline in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Hollyland Unveils LARK M3 Wireless Audio System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Adobe Completes Purchase Of Topaz Labs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

FCC to Vote on Satellite Spectrum, Unlicensed Ultra-Wideband Devices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

LYNX Technik Launches New Series 5000 Card

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

KRK V SERIES MONITORS HELP INDUSTRY VETERAN SANTIAGO URI...

Music Supervisor, Composer, and Mixing Engineer Santiago Uribe has built a career around producing music for film and television, contributing to more than 40 p...

24/09/2026

NABA Cyber University to Convene Broadcast Industry Leade...

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) will hold a full-day cybersecurity summit focused on defending against growing cyber threats facing the broad...

24/09/2026

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale | Dolores Keane inducted into Hall of Fame

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale Dolores Keane to be inducted into the...

24/09/2026

Contain the Chaos: CONTROL Resonant' Launches on GeForce NOW

A warped Manhattan is waiting in the cloud this week. Remedy Entertainment's CONTROL Resonant brings Dylan Faden's extraordinary abilities and a paranat...

23/09/2026

University of Washington's New Sundodger Studios Leverages ST 2110 to Bring Broadcast, Videoboard, and Creative Under One Roof

Four control rooms support B1G+ streams, videoboard shows, creative content, and...

23/09/2026

Mountain West Conference Moves Replay Operations West, Cutting Late-Night Hours

By Andrew Cohen, SVG Coorespondant The Mountain West debuted its new Replay Operations Center at the start of this football season, bringing real-time collabor...

23/09/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Brian Short, Ball State University

The Taylorville, IL, native is pushing creative boundaries at Ball State, gaining reps across directing, technical directing, tape, and more than 100 ESPN+ broa...

23/09/2026

The Musical and the Power of Spiteful Thinking

Alexander Heller, Nevada Jose, Will Brill, and Giselle Bonilla pose with cast members at The Musical premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles...

23/09/2026

The Crow Hill Company release Children's Choir

Includes natural and processed patches The Crow Hill Company's latest sample library captures a children's choir comprising a troupe of boys perform...

23/09/2026

Kreuzberg Audio reveal Oberton

Plug-in offers six bands of saturation Kreuzberg Audio's product range includes a selection of plug-ins and virtual instruments aimed primarily at hard-...

23/09/2026

SoundBridge 3.2.0 arrives

Latest DAW update now live SoundBridge have announced that the latest update for the remote-collaboration-focused DAW is now available. The release of Sound...

23/09/2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026 11 September, 2026 Media releases Fans can catch all the live action exclusively ...

23/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies in sovereign satellite communications

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies i...

23/09/2026

NFVF SEDIBA CREATIVE ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...

23/09/2026

CALL FOR THE SEVENTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME(PESP 7) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY IS OPEN

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...

23/09/2026

NHK Technologies Inc. Chooses Calrec for Sports Production

Download Now! To receive a short case study showcasing NHK Technologies, Inc. (NT) s audio setup, please enter the following details: -- First Name* Fir...

23/09/2026

McDonald's takes top spot as New Zealand's fast-food tastes evolve, according to Nielsen

Nielsen CMI data reveals a changing fast-food landscape, with value, convenience...

23/09/2026

AFP, Dalet To Collaborate On News Video Provenance, Authenticity

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Spectrum News NECN Launches Across New England

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote Brie Clayton September 23, 2026 0 Comments Application Users - Blender on Windows - Generalist Se...

23/09/2026

Bitfocus wins IBC2026 Best of Show Award for latest Butto...

Version 1.8 recognised for new workflow tools, boosted control panel flexibility and ease of integration into IP networks...

23/09/2026

Hiltron Reports a Successful IBC2026

Hiltron Communications reports a successful 2026 International Broadcasting Convention, held at the RAI Amsterdam. Exhibiting on stand A37 in Hall 1, Hiltron ex...

23/09/2026

LiveU Showcases AI Driven Production Alongside Resilient...

Reinforcing its long-term commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) broadcast market, LiveU is presenting the Q Era at CABSAT 2026, on Stand H1-D35 ...

23/09/2026

AFP and Dalet Partner to Strengthen the Provenance and Au...

Agence France-Presse (AFP), a global news agency, and Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a partnersh...

23/09/2026

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network Katie Vitolins BM '04 knows firsthand what Berklee's alumni community can make possible. Now she...

23/09/2026

Study: Renewals for Streaming Shows Continue to Decline

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Study: More Than 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Own or Are Interested in Smart Glasses

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Television Critics Association Revises Bylaws to Address AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

eX Celebrates Completion of Holland Mich. FTTP Network

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Gray Media Renews Ohio Valley Conference Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

QuickLink StudioPro Powers Next Generation Student Media...

Westminster Schools, a K through 12 school in Atlanta, Georgia with approximately 2,000 students, has transformed its student broadcast and digital storytelling...

23/09/2026

UK Pavilion Brings Leading British Technology to CABSAT a...

The 2026 edition of CABSAT and SATExpo may have a new home and dates in the diary, but it still retains a strong presence from UK companies in the GREAT Britain...

23/09/2026

Glensound marks 60 years with new audio developments at C...

Glensound will return to CABSAT with new developments in professional monitoring and Dante interfacing, alongside its established commentary, esports and parlia...

23/09/2026

Dolby and Meta Expand Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision Across Metas Ecosystem

September 23 2026, 17:00 (PDT) Dolby and Meta Expand Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision Across Metas Ecosystem Across Meta AI glasses, Instagram, and VR devices, ...

23/09/2026

Guy Martin's Proper Jobs returns for third series

A great watch - Radio Times TV's most likeable proper bloke - Daily Telegraph 23rd September 2026, London: Guy Martin returns to free streaming service...

23/09/2026

Sky Sports to show England Mens tour of South Africa as part of Cricket South Africa rights deal

Wednesday 23 September 2026 Sky Sports to show England Men's tour of South ...

23/09/2026

Comscore Partners with datafuelX to Bring Seamless Currency Adoption Into a Comprehensive Planning and Stewardship Workflow

Comscore Partners with datafuelX to Bring Seamless Currency Adoption Into a Comp...

23/09/2026

SES Appoints Michel Scholer to Board of Directors

Luxembourg, 23 September 2026 - SES today announced the appointment of Mr. Michel Scholer, Secretary General of the Luxembourg Government and Chief of Staff to ...