The Korean-language Netflix series “Squid Game” has become one of the streaming service’s most popular shows of all time, thanks to the ability to subtitle or dub episodes in the viewer’s language. Now, similar technology is coming to YouTube for the entire creator economy. YouTube today announced the rollout of support for multilingual audio tracks, which will allow creators to add dubbing to their new and existing videos, helping them reach international audiences.
The feature doesn’t just benefit creators who may be able to connect with larger audiences, it also helps YouTube itself by expanding the reach of videos on its platform.
The company says the technology to support multilingual audio tracks was developed in-house at YouTube, but creators will need to partner directly with third-party dubbing providers to create their audio tracks. Once downloaded, viewers will be able to choose a different audio track from the same menu where they are currently able to adjust other settings like subtitles or audio quality. It’s up to the creator to choose which other language they want to support.
Picture credits: YouTube/Mr. Beast
However, in the first tests of the feature, YouTube was run with a small group of creators, the feature had been used on more than 3,500 uploaded videos in over 40 languages, YouTube says. Over 15% of dubbed video watch time came from viewers watching the video in a different language than the original recording last month. YouTube also says that in January alone, viewers watch more than 2 million hours of dubbed videos daily on its platform.
Initially, the feature will only be supported on YouTube’s long-form content, but the company tells us it’s already testing the feature on Shorts as well.
With today’s launch, thousands more creators beyond the original test group will now have access to the new feature, we understand. The option to adjust a video’s audio track, meanwhile, will be rolling out globally across YouTube where it will be available on desktop, mobile, tablets and TVs.
Well-known creator Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson), who has 130 million subscribers worldwide, was part of the first test group. He dubbed his top 11 videos into 11 languages to attract more international viewers to his channel. In an interview with YouTube Creator Insider, Donaldson explained why the feature was beneficial, noting that uploading multilingual audio tracks is easier than managing and maintaining multiple separate foreign-language channels.
“It’s much easier to run one chain than 12…you have to create 12 different thumbnails. You have to reply to 12 comments, upload 12. It’s so much easier to have it in a central place. Plus, it’s a lot easier for the fans,” Donaldson said. “Whether you are in Mexico…[or] in India, all the dubbing is in one place, on one video, so it’s also much easier for people to understand.
Eligible creators who access the feature will be notified with an invitation offering them the opportunity to participate. Once they have access to it, they will be able to use the new option in Creator Studio.
YouTube declined to share how it determined which creators were eligible or how many would be invited to this initial expansion, saying only the number was in the “thousands”. He also didn’t say when the option would be widely available to more creators, but says he’s working towards that.
