The short answer
Choose an audio description service on four things: whether a professional describer approves every script, whether it can deliver at catalog volume and on your release schedule, whether it delivers the exact files your player or platform accepts, and whether it can work in the languages you stream. Price matters, but only once those four are settled.
What do streaming platforms need from an audio description service?
- Consistency across a series. The same character names, the same style and the same voice from episode to episode and season to season.
- Turnaround that fits your release calendar. Public price lists show 1 to 5 business days for standard orders. Description is usually the last step before release, so slow delivery delays launches.
- Human accountability. AI can draft and time a script, but a professional describer should rewrite and approve it. Ask who signs off and how corrections are handled.
- The right deliverables. Typical outputs are a timed text script (WebVTT, SRT or TTML), a standalone audio track or a full mix. Check your platform's own delivery specification before you order. Large platforms such as Netflix publish theirs.
- Languages and localization. If you stream in several markets, ask whether description is written natively in each language or translated from English, and who reviews it.
How do you evaluate providers for European Accessibility Act compliance?
The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025. For audio description it covers services that give access to audiovisual media, such as players, apps and electronic programme guides, so that description can be selected and used. The duty to provide description on the content itself comes from audiovisual media rules and national law. We explain the split in our guide to audio description and the EAA. When you evaluate a provider, that means asking:
- Can your player and apps present the delivered track, and can users find and switch it in the menu?
- Does the provider keep a record of what was described, when and by whom, so you can show your work to a regulator?
- Does the provider know the national rules where you operate? Germany, for example, adds penalties under the BFSG and content duties under the Medienstaatsvertrag.
For the German market in detail, see our guide to AI audio description for streaming platforms in Germany. Note that the EAA has exemptions, including for microenterprises, so check whether it applies to you before you buy.
What questions should you ask before you sign?
- Who writes the script, and who approves it?
- What is the turnaround for a 10-episode season, and what does rush delivery cost?
- Which file formats do you deliver, and have you delivered to my platform before?
- How do you keep names, terms and style consistent across episodes?
- What happens when the picture is re-edited after description is delivered?
- How do you protect unreleased footage?
How much does an audio description service cost?
Public US price lists put human-written audio description at $5 to $12.50 per finished minute for standard description, with rush turnaround at the top of the range. Our audio description pricing guide shows the published rates and how to budget a library. Synchrogen's done-for-you service costs $3 to $5 per finished minute with human review, and you can send up to 3 minutes of your video for a free described sample within 24 hours. If you would rather describe in-house, the Synchrogen software is $1 per minute.
Should you buy a service or use software in-house?
A service suits platforms without describers, or with peaks they cannot staff. Software suits teams that describe continuously and want to keep control of the script. Many platforms use both: a service for overflow and software for the steady flow. Our comparison of audio description software for broadcasters and studios covers the tools.
FAQ
How do I choose an audio description service for a streaming platform?
Check four things first: human approval of every script, capacity and turnaround for your catalog, delivery in the formats your platform accepts, and the languages you need. Compare prices only among providers that pass those checks.
Does the European Accessibility Act require audio description on every video?
No. The Act focuses on whether services such as players, apps and programme guides can present audio description. Whether a given programme must be described is set by audiovisual media rules and national law.
How long does it take to get audio description delivered?
Public price lists show 1 to 5 business days for standard orders. Rush delivery costs more, so plan description into your release schedule.
Can AI-generated audio description go straight to streaming?
It is safer not to. AI is good at drafting and timing, but it misses context and misreads on-screen text. Use AI for the first draft and have a professional describer approve the final script.