Amazon has launched auto-generated synced transcripts for podcasts on its Amazon Music platform in the United States (via The Verge). Transcripts are initially available only for select podcasts that are either Amazon Originals, Wondery (which is a network that's also owned by Amazon), American Public Media, audiochuck, Cadence13, The New York Times, Stitcher, and TED.
The company first added support for podcasts last year on its music app as competitors like Spotify and Apple have already been doing so for a while. Although both Spotify and Apple Podcasts include transcripts, they are not synced as Amazon has implemented on its music app. Apple Podcasts allows users to search through non-synced transcripts, while Spotify only supports a bunch of podcasts for auto-generated transcripts like The Bill Simmons Podcast.
As the host speaks, the words are highlighted in the transcript section. Users can also search through the transcripts if they want to listen to a certain part of a podcast episode. Ads won't be transcribed, however, and the transcription will just say "audio not transcribed" during ad breaks.
Transcripts and live captions are great features in order to reach a deaf or hard-of-hearing audience. Not only does it add more accessibility for podcasts, but it also serves as a platform to let more people enjoy the content.
Transcripts on podcasts are available on Amazon Music for both Android and iOS starting today.
