Since two years ago, SVT has been using AI to some extent to subtitle live broadcasts. But the software has not been reliable and a number of viewers have contacted with complaints, writes SVT News.
"The Media Authority and the Review Board have during the year received a number of questions and criticism from the public about the quality of the subtitling", writes the Review Board in its annual assessment of the public service companies for 2024.
The criticism concerns, among other things, incorrect subtitles, completely missing subtitling and missed audio descriptions. When the newspaper Journalisten examined SVT's subtitling in October 2024, it was discovered, for example, that the terrorist-stamped "Hizbollah" was written out as "riding house balls" and that "EU directives" became "urine directives".
Now the Review Board is demanding improvement because accessibility for all viewers is a fundamental part of the public service mission that SVT must fulfill.
"The Board believes that SVT needs to take further measures to ensure that subtitling, especially in SVT Play and in live broadcasts, maintains a satisfactory quality", writes the Board in its report.
SVT's technical director Adde Granberg says to SVT Culture News that the company takes the criticism seriously and is working to improve the subtitling.
