In a significant case of a major SVOD adopting sign language at scale for kids content, Netflix has teamed up with New York-based SignUp Media to create ASL interpretations of 73 kids and family titles.

The interpretations started rolling out today via SignUp’s free Chrome extension, which overlays videos of the interpretation on top of the streaming content. SignUp produced interpretations for 41 franchises, and some of the films and series that got the ASL treatment include Pokémon Horizons, Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, CoComelon and The Mitchells vs. the Machines.

It’s the first big investment in ASL interpretation for kids content from a major streamer, and Mariella Satow, the founder of SignUp, hopes that it’s a turning point for sign language in media more broadly.

The company has previously signed some partnerships in the kids and family space to create sign language interpretations, such as its deals with Moonbug and the producers of Paris & Pups. The company has also, on its own, made interpretations of content on Disney+ and Netflix that users could view through its extension, which has roughly 25,000 weekly active users. All this work helped it raise US$1 million in funding last year.

But this is the company’s first paid partnership with a major streamer, and a major evolution for SignUp. The company had about 60 days to deliver the 200 hours of content, Satow told Kidscreen in an interview, a much faster pace than its usual approach. But the team purchased additional equipment, and proved that SignUp is capable of scaling up to meet high-volume orders, she says.

Satow hopes that this deal opens the floodgates for more streamer partnerships. There are an estimated 430 million deaf people worldwide, according to the World Federation of the Deaf. And in the UK, where Satow is based, there will likely be an uptick in streamers adopting sign language interpretation soon; planned updates to the country’s Media Act mandate that streamers will have to meet similar accessibility requirements as traditional broadcasters, including signing, subtitles and audio descriptions.

The partnership is also a win for Netflix, since it opens up its content to a larger market. Netflix’s catalog includes a variety of shows and movies in more than 30 languages, and its original titles in the US have 100% subtitle coverage. The streamer recognizes that for “many members, especially our youngest viewers, sign language is the primary and most natural way to experience stories,” the SVOD told Kidscreen. 

“At Netflix, we believe great storytelling should be accessible to everyone, and this partnership is a meaningful continuation of that commitment,” Elisa Beniero, the streamer’s senior manager of strategy & innovation, said in a release.

Looking to the future, SignUp’s short-term plan is to continue creating more interpretations of kids & family content. But its long-term aim is far more ambitious, with Satow looking to build a future where sign language on streamers is commonplace, and accessible at the push of a button. “The end goal is that sign language will be incorporated [in streaming and video] the same way as closed captioning.”

Boss Baby image courtesy of SignUp Media. Photo by Chris Albert, StudiowerksDC.