Speech recognition in assisted live subtitling for televison

For several years the BBC has been using speaker-independent speech recognition to assist television subtitling and dramatically reduce the time taken for a skilled subtitler to complete a programme. This paper describes recent developments in this technology. Our new system for robust generation of subtitles for live television is also introduced. This system uses speaker-specific speech recognition and novel networking software to allow subtitlers to work from home or other remote locations whilst permitting straightforward handovers between subtitlers or television services.