{"id":1513,"date":"2026-01-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonix.ai\/resources\/?p=1513"},"modified":"2026-01-18T14:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T22:44:27","slug":"what-is-live-captioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonix.ai\/resources\/what-is-live-captioning\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Live Captioning: Making Content Accessible to Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Captioning is essential for making your video content accessible to the public. Although most believe that only 15% of Americans<\/a> who are hard of hearing or deaf require captions, this is far from the case. For many, watching a video with the sound off is a preferred way to consume content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what happens when you\u2019re streaming a live event? You cannot traditionally add captions while the event occurs. For this, there is real-time captioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will cover \u201cWhat is live captioning?\u201d and how the process works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Live Captioning?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Creating real-time captions has only become possible with the advancement of technology. With 69% of consumers<\/a> watching video content with the sound off, there\u2019s an actual commercial demand for bringing the capabilities of closed captioning to the live sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of live captioning is Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology and the role of the professional live captioner. So, what is a live captioner? These professional captioners receive access to media alongside the viewer to deliver highly accurate captions in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the diminished ability to produce captions, reaching the same 99% accuracy of traditional captioning isn\u2019t yet possible. However, with the advent of AI live captioning, products like Sonix AI can still hit a stunning 96-97% accuracy rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live Caption vs. Closed Caption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know what is a live caption, how does it differ from closed captioning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary difference is closed captions are designed for pre-recorded content, and live captions are intended for real-time use. Specifically, live captions are designed for live-streamed content like webinars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technically speaking, live captions remain a sub-category of closed captions because the viewer can still turn them on and off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Live Captioning Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Creating AI captioning live relies on a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) to connect the stream with the captioning service. If this isn\u2019t possible, the workaround involves sending the stream directly to a professional captioner who can use the same technology to provide captions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivering captions relies on using either ASR technology or a professional captioner. Naturally, the former is the more affordable and preferable option because as technology advances, it becomes more accessible than ever to match the proficiency of even the most experienced captioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Typically, most people using this technology will also include a back up stream linked between the encoder and the video player to prevent unexpected interruptions to the primary stream. These days, most of the captioning happens automatically, making creating captions with the right product as simple as clicking a button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valuable Applications of Real-Time Captioning <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Live captions are vital for any event in an era where live-streamed events are becoming more common. To illustrate the rise of live streaming today, an estimated 163.4 million Americans<\/a> will watch live videos by the end of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, where can real-time captioning become useful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n