MediaScribe Narrate Automated Audio Descriptions Now Generally Available

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, July 14, 2026 – Tightrope Media Systems today announced that MediaScribe Narrate, its automated audio description service for government video, is now generally available. First demonstrated to the broadcast and AV industries at NAB Show and InfoComm 2026, MediaScribe Narrate moves from preview to production, giving city and county government teams a way to add audio descriptions to public meeting recordings and other pre-recorded videos without adding staff or building a manual scripting process.

Audio descriptions, spoken narration of key visual information such as who is speaking, on-screen graphics, or slides referenced but not read aloud, are required for pre-recorded video content under ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 AA. The applicable compliance deadline is April 26, 2027, for state and local government entities serving populations of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028, for smaller jurisdictions and special district governments. Automated captioning closed a similar gap for live and on-demand video years ago. Until MediaScribe Narrate, there had been no comparable automated option for audio descriptions, leaving government teams to choose between manual production and going without.

MediaScribe Narrate is now among the first automated audio description tools to reach general availability, and the only one built specifically for government meeting video. Using AI trained on the visual patterns of public meetings, the service identifies speakers, notes visual reactions or gestures, and describes slides and graphics that are shown but not narrated, producing a draft that government teams can review and publish rather than write from scratch.

"Every government team we talk to wants their meetings to be accessible to every resident. What’s held them back is capacity, not intent," said JJ Parker, co-founder and CEO of Tightrope Media Systems. "MediaScribe Narrate takes audio descriptions off the list of things a small team has to do by hand. It’s built for exactly the kind of video city and county governments already produce every week."

MediaScribe Narrate can be purchased directly online, with exports that plug into existing video workflows or connect directly to Tightrope’s Cablecast Automation platform. As an entirely cloud-based service, there is no on-premises hardware to install, giving teams access to audio description generation as soon as they sign up.

Beyond audio descriptions, MediaScribe covers live captioning, real-time translation, meeting transcription, and compliance reporting, giving government media teams one platform to meet all their video accessibility needs. 

About Tightrope Media Systems

For more than 25 years, Tightrope Media Systems has provided video distribution and media accessibility solutions that help government and community organizations deliver timely messaging to the right people, in the right place, at the right time. Its Cablecast community media multiplatform playout automation simplifies video distribution for cable channels, websites, and mobile and over-the-top streaming devices. Its MediaScribe platform provides comprehensive video accessibility for live and on-demand content, including live captions, real-time translation, meeting transcription, and audio descriptions, helping government teams meet ADA Title II compliance requirements. Learn more at www.trms.com or call (612) 866-4118.