MONTRÉAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SOVO Technologies Inc, a leading supplier of closed captioning and audio description services for broadcasters and producers announced today that Toronto-based broadcaster TFO (“l’Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario”) had selected its proposal in the context of a recent tender regarding closed captioning services. SOVO shall provide the closed captioning of live and quasi-live programs from TFO for the next three years, with a renewal option of two years. Captioning of live programs is performed via SOVO’s unique technology based on automatic speech recognition, offering unmatched speed and accuracy. The captioning of quasi-live programs applies to pre-recorded shows that suffer from a very short timeframe between the end of the production cycle and air time, preventing the use of traditional methods of captioning. SOVO’s leading edge technology allows the firm to offer a complete service and still meet the most aggressive deadlines.
“We are very happy to extend our business relationship with the SOVO team, who has delivered live and quasi-live captioning services since 2008” , said Claire Lemieux-Lamarche, Operations Manager at TFO. “Considering that we are an educational organization, TFO is extremely sensitive to all aspects of broadcasting quality, including of course closed captioning for the hearing impaired. We benefit from an excellent collaboration with SOVO in that regard.”
SOVO offers a turnkey service to broadcasters and producers of visual media in order to serve the interests of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and also to ensure that federal accessibility regulations from the CRTC are met. The requirements for closed captioning and audio description are in constant growth, both in terms of volume and quality. SOVO offers a unique outsourcing model that enables broadcasters to focus on other important operational matters, to control their costs, and to meet current and future standards coming from governmental authorities.
“We are observing a significant increase in both the volume and complexity of closed captioning for television programming due to a number of factors : new TV channels emerging on an ongoing basis, new regulations, shortened production schedules, increases in the variety of both live and pre-recorded programs, and more”, said Serge Forest, President and CEO of SOVO. “We are extremely pleased to assist TFO and other broadcasters alike in meeting their accessibility targets without requiring capital investments, or worrying about new guidelines or regulations, or having them become experts in new captioning technologies. The outsourcing model is gaining significant grounds recently, and with good reasons.”
In the last few years, SOVO has contributed to the live and quasi-live captioning of a number of TFO programs and special events of great quality, including the daily public affairs show RelieF, the kids show Mégallô , the téléthon pour la fondation Franco-Ontarienne, and more.
About SOVO Technologies Inc
SOVO is a premium provider of closed captioning and audio description services, which make visual media accessible to everyone, all the time. With access to unique proprietary technology based on speech recognition and visual detection, SOVO can deliver accessible visual media more rapidly, efficiently and consistently than other organizations. The company provides services for all sorts of live and offline content to top broadcasters, producers and studios.
Additional information on SOVO can be found at: http://sovo-tech.com.