SXSW 2025 has wrapped, and Verbit would like to thank everyone who took the time at this year’s show to meet with us, learn about our AI-driven captioning, transcription and localization solutions or just stop by our booth to say “hello.”
We had a great time on the show floor speaking with members of the production and broadcast industry, sharing information about our products and learning about the newest innovations in media, entertainment and technology. This year’s event attracted more than 300,000 attendees from around the world and showcased a dynamic blend of film, music, comedy and cutting-edge tech.
Check out our show observations, takeaways and highlights, including a few photos.
The (continued) buzz around artificial intelligence
Not surprisingly, AI remained one of the most talked about technologies with companies of all sizes integrating AI and generative AI into their everyday operations, helping people across all departments work more efficiently and successfully.
A theme at this year’s SXSW show was the technology’s growing impact across a wide variety of industries and how brands can integrate AI into their workflows to boost innovation, research and workflows. For instance, discussions centered on AI’s role in the medical field and how it can help speed up pharmaceutical clinical trials; its role in space exploration and aiding scientists in identifying universal building blocks and information collected by next-gen telescopes; and, more down to earth, how AI-trained robotics can assist in our homes and everyday lives.
No stranger to AI technology, Verbit helps companies of all sizes – including those in the media, corporate, education, legal and government sectors – turn spoken audio and video into accessible and actionable text. Our proprietary AI-powered offering – Captivate™ – is the most reliable and accurate captioning solution on the market today, understanding accents, languages and speech patterns better than generic ASR engines. Our generative AI product suite – Gen.V™ – combines highly trained natural language processing, content generation abilities and artificial intelligence to identify the most important elements of a transcript.
Reach global, think local(ization)
Finding new ways to reach audiences was another hot topic at SXSW as businesses, educators and content creators looking to expand their reach across global markets are realizing that simply translating words is no longer enough.
Audiences expect authentic, culturally relevant experiences that resonate in their native language and reflect local nuances. Localizing ensures your content remains engaging, relatable and accessible no matter where it’s viewed. With the rise of digital streaming, e-learning, and global commerce, investing in high-quality localization is now a necessity for meaningful connection as well as audience and revenue growth.
Verbit’s localization services – dubbing, multi-language subtitles and translations – meet the same creative standards as your original production. We support your entire production and delivery workflow – from transcribing and translating your rushes for edits to localizing and delivering your final program. We combine advanced technology with the best international talent to consistently deliver top-quality work at any volume.
We offer, among other localization services:
Dubbing: Our dubbing solutions feature leading AI technology and talented voice actors who work in modern studios and use cutting edge equipment. A YouTube recommended vendor, our audio tracks mirror dialogue nuances and lip-flap movements and capture the emotion, tone and expressions of your original audio content.
Subtitling: Verbit’s multi-language experts understand the language skills, cultural knowledge and technical experience required to produce live and post-production subtitles. We offer AI and human-generated solutions in more than 50 languages that can handle your dialect, formatting and layout requirements with ease.
Translation: Our expert human translators and AI provide accurate translations of audio and video in dozens of languages, helping content creators, businesses, schools and government agencies, among others, reach global audiences.
Competition in streaming
Streaming services maintained a strong presence at this year’s expo with platforms like Prime Video and Paramount+ sporting large-scale displays that spoke to the ongoing competition in the streaming industry and the importance of engaging audiences through innovative content delivery.
Streaming trends up for discussion included increased AI integration and AI’s role in more personalized viewing experiences; the growth of FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channels in the US; and how streamers can appeal to audiences through niche streaming platforms that cater to specific interests and communities.
Podcasting and YouTube
Podcasts were a big topic at SXSW, bolstered by the fact that YouTube is now a major podcast player in the podcasting industry. YouTube announced last month that it reached more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on its platform and that it stands as the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the US.
Though this shift to video podcasting on YouTube has created excitement and some concern in the podcasting community (whether creating a video podcast is worth the extra production and costs), the podcasters we spoke with reiterated their key desire for their programs – connecting with audiences.
Regardless of where the content is shared, podcasters are focused on reaching new listeners, widening their reach and boosting their revenues. One way to reach new audiences is by adding transcripts, a text file of the audio source, that creates equal access for everyone who downloads or streams content.
Verbit offers an accurate and flexible transcription solution for podcasts that helps platforms, producers and networks reach larger audiences. Our features include transcription in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew and many more languages; lightning-fast turnaround times to fit your production schedule; speaker identification; and versatile formatting options that exceed ADA and FCC compliance.
Transcripts also can improve a podcast’s SEO ranking, ensuring the program appears higher up in relevant search results on podcast platforms and other search engines.
Supporting your needs
SXSW 2025 spoke to the transformative power of technology, media and storytelling, and we’re grateful to have been part of the conversation. As AI continues to shape the way industries operate, and as content creators look for new ways to engage diverse audiences, Verbit remains committed to providing new and evolving solutions that make media more accessible, inclusive and impactful. Whether through AI-driven captioning, transcription or localization, we’re here to support professionals in media, education, legal and beyond as they adapt to the future of content consumption.
Again, we’d like to thank everyone who stopped by to see us at SXSW! If you didn’t have a chance to meet with us at SXSW, we’ll be at April’s NAB show in Las Vegas and would love to pick up the conversation. In the meantime, reach out to our team to learn more about how Verbit’s solutions can support your content and business goals.
