Watch together, stay together: Streaming services are being hailed as a 'unifying factor' for dubbing and subtitling content

There is nothing so effectively integrating as a dubbed movie or TV serial. It beats subtitles as that requires not only reading but also hearing often incomprehensible speech. Already, the benefit of Netflix dubbing and subtitling content produced in one European language into a host of other continental patois is being hailed as a unifying factor. It seems a more workable solution than France’s recent petulant suggestion that Latin should replace English as a link language in the post-Brexit EU.

Those who watch together stay together, is the multilingual streaming services’ comforting alternative mantra for a beleaguered EU. Not only do viewers enjoy hits of other countries in their own tongues, the makers of films and serials target far greater audiences than their own languages would normally reach.

No wonder bleak, grey and laconic Icelandic murder mysteries are killing it from Singapore to Saskatchewan. Adding India’s tongues to their kitty could be a game changer too: a Game of Thrones-type saga dubbed in all Indian languages, not just Hindi, could be a blockbuster. Also, going by the nationwide popularity of Bãhubali, the advantages of using dubbing to facilitate an Ek Bharat, Ek Cinema (or Serial) model by India’s regional film industries and streaming services are obvious too.