Closed Captioning Services New York City

FCC-Compliant, ADA-Compliant & WCAG 2.1 AA Closed Captioning —
In-House NYC Team Since 2007

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Compliance & Accessibility

Why Gotham Lab

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Gotham Lab provides professional closed captioning services in New York City for broadcast television, streaming platforms, online video, corporate communications, educational content, and government media. Our in-house team of captioning specialists delivers FCC-compliant, ADA-compliant, and WCAG 2.1 AA accessible closed captions in every major delivery format — SCC, SRT, VTT, DFXP, and more — starting from $5 per minute. Every caption file we deliver is quality reviewed against the source video for timing accuracy, reading speed compliance, and linguistic precision before leaving our studio.

Gotham Lab is New York City’s only full-service localization company offering closed captioning services alongside multilingual subtitle translation, voice-over production, film subtitling, and CCSL creation — all handled in-house by our NYC team with no outsourcing and no middlemen. Whether you need English closed captions for broadcast compliance, multilingual captions in 50+ languages for global distribution, or SDH subtitles for streaming platform delivery, Gotham Lab handles every format, every platform, and every language pair from our office at 340 W 42nd St, Midtown Manhattan.

Closed captioning is no longer optional for most video content producers. Federal law requires closed captions on broadcast television content and video programming distributed online. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires captioning for educational institutions, government agencies, and many corporate communications. WCAG 2.1 AA — the international web accessibility standard — requires synchronized captions on all pre-recorded video content published online. Gotham Lab ensures your content meets every applicable compliance requirement from a single in-house New York City team.

Gotham Lab proprietary closed captioning software — in-house captioning platform New York City
Gotham Lab video editing suite — closed captioning and subtitling production New York City

Our Closed Captioning Services

Gotham Lab is New York City’s only full-service captioning company offering closed captions, SDH subtitles, multilingual captioning in 50+ languages, and CCSL creation under one roof — all performed in-house with no outsourcing, no subcontractors, and rates starting from $5 per minute.

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Service What we deliver Learn more
Broadcast closed captioning FCC-compliant closed captions for network television, cable, satellite, and IPTV. SCC format delivery meeting all FCC accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, and placement quality standards. Get a quote
Online video captioning WCAG 2.1 AA compliant closed captions for websites, YouTube, Vimeo, and social media platforms. VTT and SRT format delivery for web-compatible accessibility compliance. Get a quote
Streaming platform captioning Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Hulu compliant closed caption files in DFXP, TTML, VTT, and platform-specific formats meeting all platform quality specifications. Get a quote
SDH subtitles Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in 50+ languages — dialogue, speaker identification, sound effects, and music descriptions. Required by Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and broadcast. View service
Corporate & eLearning captioning ADA-compliant closed captions for employee training videos, onboarding content, webinars, corporate communications, and eLearning modules. Delivered in all LMS-compatible formats. Get a quote
Educational institution captioning ADA and Section 508 compliant closed captions for university lecture recordings, online courses, educational video libraries, and MOOC platforms. Accepted by all major LMS systems. Get a quote
Multilingual closed captioning Closed caption translation and creation in 50+ languages. Native-speaking captioners matched to your language pair — Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, German, and more. Get a quote
Caption file format conversion Conversion between SCC, SRT, VTT, DFXP, TTML, STL, PAC, EBU, and all other caption formats while preserving all timecodes, styling, and formatting for any platform or broadcast standard. Get a quote
CCSL creation Combined Continuity and Spotting List creation — the master caption timing document required for Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and international distribution. Delivered via GothamCCSL.com. View service

Closed Captions, Subtitles & SDH — What’s the Difference?

Closed captions, subtitles, and SDH subtitles are three distinct formats that serve different audiences and purposes. Understanding which format your content requires is the first step in ensuring accessibility and compliance.

Closed Captions

Closed captions transcribe all audio content in a video — spoken dialogue, speaker identification, sound effects, and music cues — in the same language as the audio track. They are designed for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing and cannot hear the audio. ‘Closed’ means the viewer can toggle captions on or off. Closed captions are required for broadcast television by the FCC and for online video by the ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA. Gotham Lab delivers closed captions in SCC, SRT, VTT, and all broadcast and streaming platform formats.

Subtitles

Subtitles translate spoken dialogue into a different language for viewers who can hear the audio but do not speak the source language. Unlike closed captions, subtitles typically do not include sound effects or speaker identification — they focus exclusively on dialogue translation. Subtitles are the primary accessibility solution for international distribution. Gotham Lab provides multilingual subtitle translation in 50+ languages for film, television, streaming, and online video — all performed by native-speaking translators with industry expertise.

SDH Subtitles

SDH — Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing — combines the foreign-language translation of subtitles with the accessibility descriptions of closed captions. SDH subtitles are delivered in the target language and include speaker identification, sound effects, and music cues alongside translated dialogue. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and most major streaming platforms require SDH tracks in addition to standard subtitle tracks for all content delivered to their platforms. Gotham Lab provides SDH subtitles in 50+ languages for all streaming and broadcast delivery formats.

Closed Captioning Compliance —
FCC, ADA & WCAG Requirements

Closed captioning compliance in the United States is governed by three primary regulatory frameworks — the Federal Communications Commission, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Each framework has distinct requirements, enforcement mechanisms, and applicability to different types of video content. Gotham Lab’s closed captioning services are designed to meet all three compliance frameworks simultaneously, ensuring your content is accessible, legally compliant, and distributable across all platforms.

FCC Closed Captioning Requirements ADA Closed Captioning Requirements WCAG 2.1 AA Closed Captioning Requirements

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulated closed captioning on broadcast television since the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The FCC’s closed captioning rules apply to all video programming distributed on television — broadcast, cable, satellite, and IPTV — and to video programming published online if it was previously aired on television with captions.

The FCC measures closed captioning quality against four standards that all captions must meet:

  1. Accuracy — captions must match the spoken words of the audio, including speaker identification and non-speech information
  2. Synchronicity — captions must be synchronized with the corresponding spoken words and sounds to the greatest extent possible
  3. Completeness — captions must run from the beginning to the end of the program to the greatest extent possible
  4. Placement — captions must not block other important visual content and must be placed in locations that do not obscure faces or critical on-screen text

The FCC’s IP-delivered video captioning rules — established under the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) of 2010 — extended captioning requirements to video programming delivered via the internet. Any video that was captioned when broadcast on television must also be captioned when distributed online. Additionally, live and near-live programming streamed online must meet FCC captioning quality standards.

Gotham Lab delivers FCC-compliant closed captions in SCC (Scenarist Closed Caption) format for broadcast delivery and in SRT and VTT formats for online video distribution. Every caption file is reviewed for accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, and placement compliance before delivery.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that public accommodations and services — including educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and many businesses — make their communications accessible to people with disabilities. For video content, ADA compliance requires closed captions that provide deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with equal access to the audio information in the video.

ADA captioning requirements apply broadly across industries:

  • Educational institutions — universities, colleges, community colleges, and K-12 schools must caption all video course materials, online courses, webinars, and educational recordings under Title II and Title III of the ADA
  • Government agencies — all federal, state, and local government agencies are required to caption video content under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which applies ADA accessibility standards to electronic and information technology
  • Healthcare providers — hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations must caption patient education videos, staff training content, and public communications under ADA Title III
  • Corporate employers — businesses with 15 or more employees are required to provide accessible communications, including captioned video content used in employee training, onboarding, and internal communications

ADA captioning lawsuits against universities, healthcare organizations, and major corporations have increased significantly in recent years — several resulting in multi-million dollar settlements. Gotham Lab’s ADA-compliant closed captions meet the accuracy, synchronicity, and completeness standards required to satisfy ADA compliance obligations and reduce your organization’s legal exposure.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility and is referenced by ADA compliance guidance, Section 508 regulations, and accessibility laws in the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia. For video content published online, WCAG 2.1 AA requires:

  • Success Criterion 1.2.2 (Captions — Prerecorded) — Level A: All pre-recorded audio content in synchronized media must have captions, except when the media is a media alternative for text
  • Success Criterion 1.2.4 (Captions — Live) — Level AA: All live audio content in synchronized media must have captions
  • Success Criterion 1.2.9 (Audio-Only — Live) — Level AAA: Live audio-only content must have an alternative that presents equivalent information

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is increasingly required by corporate procurement policies, government contracts, and educational accreditation standards. Websites and digital platforms that serve the public are expected to meet WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline accessibility standard. Gotham Lab’s closed captions are delivered in VTT format — the native web captioning format — and meet WCAG 2.1 AA synchronicity, accuracy, and completeness requirements for all pre-recorded online video content.

CVAA — Twenty-First Century Communications and
Video Accessibility Act

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) of 2010 updated federal communications law to account for modern technologies and extended FCC closed captioning requirements to internet-delivered video. The CVAA requires that video programming shown on television with captions must also include captions when distributed via the internet — covering video-on-demand services, streaming platforms, and online video players. The CVAA also requires that user interfaces on devices used to view video programming be accessible to people with disabilities.

For content producers and distributors delivering programming to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and other streaming platforms, CVAA compliance is a delivery requirement — not optional. Gotham Lab delivers CVAA-compliant caption files in all streaming platform-specific formats, ensuring your content meets both the streaming platform’s technical specifications and applicable federal law.

Streaming Platform Closed Captioning Requirements

Major streaming platforms have their own captioning quality requirements that go beyond FCC minimums. Meeting these specifications is mandatory for content delivery to each platform:

  • Netflix — requires DFXP/TTML format captions with a maximum reading speed of 17 characters per second, specific line break rules, and SDH tracks for all content. Netflix also requires a CCSL spotting list for feature film content
  • Amazon Prime Video — requires SRT or DFXP format captions with a maximum reading speed of 20 characters per second and SDH tracks for all original content
  • Disney+ — requires TTML format captions with SDH tracks and specific styling constraints for all content delivered to the platform
  • Apple TV+ — requires iTunes Timed Text (iTT) format and SDH tracks for all platform content
  • Broadcast television — requires SCC format captions for US broadcast delivery, with PAC, STL, and EBU formats for international broadcast

Gotham Lab’s closed captioning specialists are trained on the technical specifications of every major streaming platform and broadcast standard. Every caption file we deliver is reviewed against the destination platform’s requirements before submission — ensuring first-pass acceptance without correction requests.

Industries We Serve — Closed Captioning Services

Broadcast & streaming

Network television, cable, satellite, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV+

Film & entertainment

Feature films, documentaries, short films, theatrical releases, film festival submissions

Education

Universities, colleges, online courses, eLearning platforms, educational video libraries, MOOCs

Corporate

Employee training, onboarding videos, internal communications, webinars, marketing content

Empire state building at dusk near the Midtown Manhattan location of Gotham Lab, a New York localization and translation company.

Gotham Lab provides closed captioning services across every industry with video accessibility and compliance requirements in New York City and worldwide.

From broadcast networks and streaming platforms to universities, law firms, hospitals, and government agencies — the demand for compliant, accurate closed captioning spans every sector of the economy. Increasing ADA enforcement, WCAG 2.1 AA adoption by corporate procurement standards, and FCC expansion of online video captioning requirements mean that closed captioning is no longer a specialty service — it is a baseline operational requirement for any organization that produces or distributes video content. Gotham Lab’s in-house New York City team serves every industry with the same professional-grade captioning, the same compliance standards, and the same turnaround times regardless of project size or sector.

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Government

Federal, state, and local government agencies, public service announcements, legislative proceedings

Healthcare

Patient education, staff training, medical communications, hospital video content

Legal

Deposition videos, court proceeding recordings, legal training content, law firm communications

Museums & cultural institutions

Exhibit audio guides, educational programming, public event recordings

Multilingual Closed Captioning in 50+ Languages

Gotham Lab provides closed captioning and caption translation services in over 50 languages — making us one of the only New York City captioning companies able to handle multilingual caption projects entirely in-house. From English closed captions for broadcast compliance to Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, German, Italian, Portuguese, and beyond — every language pair is handled by native-speaking captioners with industry expertise.

Multilingual captioning is essential for organizations distributing video content across multiple international markets, streaming platforms serving global audiences, educational institutions with diverse student populations, and government agencies serving multilingual communities. Gotham Lab delivers multilingual caption packages — covering multiple language pairs simultaneously — coordinated by a single project manager with unified quality standards and a single delivery package.

Our multilingual captioning services include English captions for domestic compliance, foreign-language captions for international distribution, SDH tracks in every language for streaming platform accessibility requirements, and caption file format conversion between all major international broadcast and streaming formats.

Multicultural Gotham Lab New York, language services and localization.
Multilingual closed captioning and subtitling services in 50+ languages — Gotham Lab New York
Spanish captioning and subtitling services in NYC - Gotham Lab

Closed Captioning Rates — Transparent Pricing

Gotham Lab’s closed captioning rates start from $5 per minute — consistently below the national average of $7–12 per minute charged by competing New York captioning companies. Our in-house model eliminates the middleman markup that inflates prices at large captioning agencies, allowing us to offer professional-grade, compliance-reviewed closed captioning at rates that make accessibility economically viable for every organization and every project size.

Service Rate Format delivered Turnaround
English closed captioning From $5/min SCC, SRT, VTT 1–3 business days
Multilingual captioning From $6/min per language All major formats 3–5 business days
SDH subtitles From $6/min per language DFXP, TTML, VTT 3–5 business days
Streaming platform delivery From $6/min Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ specs 3–5 business days
Caption file format conversion Contact for quote All formats 1–2 business days
Rush turnaround Contact for quote All formats Same day — 24hr

All rates include two-stage quality review — caption creation by a specialist followed by independent review against the source video. Contact us for a free project quote — we respond within one business day.

All rates include two-stage quality review — caption creation by a specialist followed by independent review against the source video. Contact us for a free project quote — we respond within one business day.

Why Choose Gotham Lab for Closed Captioning?

Five reasons corporate communications teams, broadcast networks, educational institutions, and film producers choose Gotham Lab over every other closed captioning company in New York.

Why Gotham Lab What it means for you
FCC, ADA & WCAG compliant Every closed caption file Gotham Lab delivers meets FCC accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, and placement standards — plus ADA compliance for educational, corporate, and government content, and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for online video. One captioning partner covering every compliance requirement simultaneously. Learn more about our compliance standards.
In-house NYC team — no outsourcing Every caption file is created, reviewed, and delivered exclusively by our New York City team. No outsourcing to offshore captioning houses, no automated pipeline with no human review, no anonymous subcontractors. Complete quality control and confidentiality from intake through delivery — all from our office at 340 W 42nd St, Midtown Manhattan.
50+ languages — multilingual captioning Gotham Lab provides closed captioning and SDH subtitle services in over 50 languages — making us one of the only NYC captioning companies able to handle multilingual caption projects entirely in-house. From Spanish and French to Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and beyond — every language pair covered by a native-speaking specialist.
From $5 per minute Gotham Lab's closed captioning rates start from $5 per minute — consistently below the national average and below every major NYC competitor. Our in-house model eliminates the middleman markup that inflates prices at large captioning agencies. Professional-grade, compliance-reviewed captions at rates that make accessibility economically viable for every organization. Contact us for a free quote.
Full-service captioning & localization Gotham Lab is the only NYC company providing closed captioning alongside subtitling services, translation services, voice-over production, movie localization, and CCSL creation under one roof. One partner, one quality standard, one delivery package — for every language service your content requires.

Ready to caption your content? Contact our New York City team for a free consultation and same-day quote.

Contact Gotham Lab: info@gothamlab.com | +1 347-587-8110 | 340 W 42nd St #2424, New York, NY 10108

f.a.q.

Frequently Asked Questions — Closed Captioning Services

Everything you need to know about closed captioning requirements, compliance, file formats, pricing, and delivery — answered by Gotham Lab’s New York City captioning team.

What is closed captioning and why do I need it?
Closed captioning is the display of synchronized text on screen that transcribes all audio content in a video — spoken dialogue, speaker identification, sound effects, and music cues — for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Unlike subtitles which translate dialogue into another language, closed captions are in the same language as the audio and include all audio information. Closed captioning is required by law for broadcast television under FCC regulations, for educational institutions and government agencies under the ADA, and for online video content under WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. Learn more about Gotham Lab's closed captioning services.
What is the difference between closed captions and subtitles?
Closed captions transcribe all audio content — dialogue, sound effects, speaker identification, and music descriptions — in the same language as the video, for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles translate spoken dialogue into a different language for viewers who can hear the audio but do not speak the source language. SDH subtitles combine both — translating dialogue into a target language while also including accessibility descriptions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Gotham Lab provides all three formats. View our subtitling and SDH services.
How much does closed captioning cost?
Gotham Lab's closed captioning rates start from $5 per minute for English closed captioning — consistently below the national average of $7–12 per minute. Multilingual captioning and SDH subtitles start from $6 per minute per language. All rates include two-stage quality review — caption creation by a specialist followed by independent review against the source video. Contact us for a free project quote — we respond within one business day.
What closed captioning file formats do you deliver?
Gotham Lab delivers closed caption files in all major broadcast and streaming formats — SCC for US broadcast television, SRT and VTT for online video and web platforms, DFXP and TTML for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, iTunes iTT for Apple TV+, and STL, PAC, and EBU for European broadcast delivery. We also perform caption file format conversion between any of these formats while preserving all timecodes and formatting. View our full subtitle and caption format list.
Are your closed captions FCC compliant?
Yes. Every closed caption file Gotham Lab delivers meets the FCC's four closed captioning quality standards — accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, and placement. Our captions are reviewed against FCC requirements before delivery for broadcast television, cable, satellite, and IPTV content. For internet-delivered video content that was previously aired on television, we also meet CVAA captioning requirements. Contact us to discuss your broadcast captioning project.
Do your closed captions meet ADA requirements?
Yes. Gotham Lab's closed captions meet ADA accessibility requirements for educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and corporate employers. Our captions meet the accuracy, synchronicity, and completeness standards required to satisfy ADA Title II, Title III, and Section 508 compliance obligations. We work with universities, law firms, hospitals, government agencies, and corporations across New York City and nationwide. Contact us to discuss your ADA captioning requirements.
Do you provide closed captioning for Netflix and streaming platforms?
Yes. Gotham Lab delivers closed caption packages for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, and HBO Max — meeting each platform's specific technical specifications including file format, reading speed limits, character-per-line constraints, and SDH track requirements. Netflix also requires a CCSL spotting list for feature film content. Learn more about our CCSL services at GothamCCSL.com.
Do you provide multilingual closed captioning?
Yes. Gotham Lab provides closed captioning and SDH subtitle services in over 50 languages — making us one of the only New York City captioning companies able to handle multilingual caption projects entirely in-house. All multilingual captioning is performed by native speakers of the target language with subject-matter expertise in your industry. From Spanish and French to Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, German, and beyond. Contact us for a multilingual captioning quote.
How long does closed captioning take?
Standard closed captioning turnaround for pre-recorded content is 1–3 business days for English captioning and 3–5 business days for multilingual captioning, depending on content length, language pair, and format requirements. Rush delivery is available for broadcast deadlines, streaming platform submissions, and time-sensitive distribution requirements. Contact us to discuss your timeline.
Is all closed captioning work done in New York?
Yes — all caption creation, quality review, and format delivery is handled in-house by our New York City team at 340 W 42nd St #2424, New York, NY 10108. We never outsource captioning projects to third-party vendors, offshore captioning houses, or automated pipelines without human review. This ensures consistent quality, complete confidentiality, and accountable project management from intake through delivery. Contact our NYC captioning team today.

Get a Free Closed Captioning Quote

Gotham Lab’s New York City team is ready to discuss your closed captioning project. Whether you need FCC-compliant broadcast captions, ADA-compliant educational captions, WCAG 2.1 AA compliant online video captions, or multilingual SDH tracks for streaming platform delivery — we handle every format, every platform, and every compliance requirement in-house from our Midtown Manhattan office.

We respond to all project inquiries within one business day. Rush turnaround is available for time-sensitive broadcast and distribution deadlines. Contact us for a free consultation — no commitment required.

Contact Gotham Lab: info@gothamlab.com | +1 347-587-8110 | 340 W 42nd St #2424, New York, NY 10108

Gotham Lab – NYC

Address: 340 W 42nd St #2424, New York, NY 10108

Phone: +1 347-587-8110

Email: info@gothamlab.com

Hours: Mon–Fri: 8:00am–7:00pm  |  Sat: 9:00am–5:00pm