Netflix introduces new subtitle option for those who just want to read dialogue

The Netflix logo is shown in this photo from the company's website on Feb. 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Netflix is rolling out a new way to watch your favorite shows and movies if you’re a viewer who keeps the subtitles on at the bottom of your screen.

The streaming giant is launching a new subtitle option on Thursday that allows the viewer to watch content with original language subtitles that show only the spoken dialogue without audio cues, according to a news release.

Prior to this new dialogue-only option, viewers opting to watch content with subtitles in the original language would choose the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH/CC) option, which includes dialogue subtitles and audio cues – think “phone buzzing” or “dramatic music swells” notations – as well as song titles and/or speaker names.

This new capability will be available not just in English, but in every language that Netflix offers in addition to the SDH/CC option. Additionally, viewers are also be able to customize the font in which subtitles are shown.

CNN previously reported that according to a 2023 survey by YouGov, nearly 40% of US respondents preferred watching TV in a language they speak with the subtitles on, making Netflix’s new feature a more than timely option for audiences.

According to the study, those using subtitles cited two primary factors for doing so: to enhance their general comprehension, and help them understand accents.

That will more than come in handy for English-speaking viewers in the US opting to turn on subtitles for some of their favorite British shows, like Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” and “Peaky Blinders.”

Netflix had already taken note of its viewers’ consumption habits prior to announcing Thursday’s new dialogue-only subtitle feature by increasing the number of films and series that support SDH and audio descriptions (AD) options. The streamer said Thursday that nearly half of all viewing hours on its platform in the US happen with subtitles or captions on.

The new dialogue-only subtitle feature will make its debut with the fifth and final season of the streamer’s romance-thriller series “You,” all episodes of which were released Thursday, and will be available for all new Netflix originals going forward.