Why American Moviegoers Love Subtitles
By Movieguide® Contributor
American subtitle use increased 5% since 2022, and a study by Preply, a language-learning company, discovered why this trend is growing, especially in younger generations.
“Online video platforms like YouTube and TikTok are experiencing an increased demand for subtitles,” Preply said. “An impressive 46% of viewers prefer watching videos with subtitles, while 61% of viewers report that subtitles are at least somewhat important in shaping their social media viewing experience.”
The study stated the primary reason for subtitle use: “81% of viewers report that subtitles more often help them understand the content they’re watching.”
Preply reported its main findings:
- 51% of Americans watch content with subtitles most of the time.
- Due to background music, 61% say it is harder to hear dialogue in shows and movies than it used to be.
- A large majority (70%) of Americans use subtitles to understand actors with accents better.
“Subtitles also play a significant role in language learning and education,” Preply said. “About 1 in 4 report that subtitles have assisted them in learning a new language. A noteworthy 44% have even used subtitles to help study or understand a new concept.”
The study also found that subtitles make shared viewing experiences easier. “Nearly 1 in 3 viewers request subtitles when watching TV with another person,” Preply said.
According to the Hearing Industries Association, 1 in 6 baby boomers have hearing loss. But this group doesn’t use subtitles most frequently. Of the four age groups studied, Generation Z uses subtitles the most (68%), while Generation X uses them the least (39%). Meanwhile, 56% of millennials use subtitles, while only 41% of baby boomers use the feature.
“Recent data has shown that younger generations overwhelmingly prefer to watch content with subtitles on,” Preply said in an earlier survey.
Movieguide® recently reported on Gen Z’s subtitle use:
Younger people use subtitles more because they help them take in all of the information and allow them to better focus, while older people find them distracting and tend to only use them if needed.
This boom in subtitle usage has created lots of work – and opportunity – for the companies behind TV and movie captioning…
The subtitle business has grown to an annual value of nearly $170 million with transcription as high as $30 billion. In-house subtitling at studios and streaming services is rare, leading to immense opportunities for those third-party companies taking on the work.
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