TV ad subtitling
Channel 4 already requires subtitles on every advert it shows, and ITV will from January 2027. If your advert doesn’t have them, we can get them added and delivered to the broadcasters.
Why your ad needs subtitles
Subtitles on adverts used to be optional, but Channel 4 made them compulsory across its channels and its streaming service on 1 March 2026, and ITV has announced that it will do the same across all of its channels and ITVX from January 2027. An advert without subtitles can’t run on Channel 4 now, and it won’t be able to run on ITV once the rule comes in.
The captions you might have made for YouTube or social media won’t do the job, unfortunately. Subtitles for TV are a separate file, made in the particular format the broadcasters ask for, and it gets sent along with the advert when it’s delivered. Our article on subtitles on TV ads explains the rules in more detail.
What we do
Broadcast subtitles have to be created by a specialist subtitling service, and we use one we trust. You send us the advert and we look after the rest:
- Arranging the subtitle file with a specialist broadcast subtitling service
- Checking the wording and timing against your advert
- Sending the subtitles to you to approve before anything goes out
- Delivering the subtitles to the broadcasters with your advert
Having a new ad made?
If we’re making your advert, you don’t need to do anything. Subtitles are planned in from the start and quoted alongside the advert, so there are no surprises and they’re ready when the advert is.
And if you’ve got an existing advert that’s due to run again on ITV in 2027, it’s worth getting the subtitles sorted before January. If it also needs Clearcast clearance, we can deal with that at the same time.
See what we make.
TV commercials for retailers, colleges, solicitors, car dealers and plenty more.