From X Factor to Jamie Oliver: How multi-language audio took 3 channels global
Jul 30, 2024 – [[read-time]] minute read
Picture this: You’ve just returned from a trip abroad, where you enjoyed the best versions of the local cuisine and even found a few new TV shows to watch. But now that you’re home, recreating that meal is harder than it seems, with YouTube chefs speaking in their native language. And watching your favorite show with captions doesn’t hit quite the same.
Multi-language audio, a creator announced last year to help dub videos with audio in a different language, has helped legacy media channels reach global audiences and more. From recipes from Jamie Oliver — whose English videos are now available in Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi — to Fremantle (Got Talent, The X Factor) in Spanish and W4tch TV (documentaries) in English, viewers from around the world can now enjoy and access content in a whole different light.
“Thanks to YouTube and their precious advice, we were able to internationalize our programmes the best way possible. Their analysis helped us start with the most relevant content targeting the right audience. This strategy was quickly proven efficient and we have now identified an important source of growth for the following years,” said Samuel Zaslavsky, CEO of W4tch TV.
Expanding horizons: Targeting new markets
There are lots of sub-segments in our content – pasta recipes, vegetarian. Being able to localize at volume is really useful for us.”
Richard Herd Head of Video, Jamie Oliver GroupChoosing what languages to expand to was a strategic effort, said the Jamie Oliver team. They analyzed channel data for where their viewers were watching from and what content those markets wanted, and initially focused on Spanish and Portuguese-speaking audiences due to the vast reaches of these languages. Fremantle also began with these markets, while W4tch TV, with French channels, naturally chose English to tap into the US market.
When Fremantle began multi-language audio (MLA), shows like The X Factor were now available for viewers to switch between different language audio tracks within a single video — no need to swap to a localized version. And the results, the team said, were great: since launching the product we have reached almost 6M plays on MLA tracks. This approach also amplified Jamie Oliver's channel success, with MLA-dubbed tracks gaining three times more views.
“It’s a numbers game these days. The more content you can put out, the more they can engage with. There are lots of sub-segments in our content – pasta recipes, vegetarian. Being able to localize at volume is really useful for us,” said Richard Herd, Head of Video of the Jamie Oliver Group.
W4tch TV expanded even further into additional markets, targeting Spanish-speaking countries. With MLA, the company now offers videos available in nine different languages.
The effectiveness of AI-powered dubbing
Embracing the experimentation mindset, these companies also used AI to dub their content. Each of the three channels found they had their own advantages: Fremantle used AI dubbing technology to streamline the process, enabling them to rapidly expand by ensuring their popular talent shows were translated with exceptional quality and speed.
For Jamie Oliver, it was important to retain the chef’s notable personality and tone — replicating them successfully across different languages. This helped to keep the brand consistent, no matter what language the viewer was watching in.
And for W4tch TV, translating their vast library of content with AI allowed them to keep costs low relative to their video length.
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Taking it all global
By embracing AI translation and strategically utilizing multi-language audio, all three channels created a blueprint for success in international markets. So now, no matter what their primary language is, viewers worldwide can enjoy documentaries, cooking recipes, and incredible talents from acts across the globe.
"With over 241m YouTube subscribers and 204bn views, Fremantle has an incredible track record in building engaged audiences. We are delighted this partnership has allowed us to bring our content to even more fans,” said Robert Cocker, SVP of Social and Digital of Fremantle.
Sample this feature below by clicking play, navigating to the settings button, and choose a different audio track to hear for yourself.
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