Cinedigm, an independent streaming content provider, has turned to artificial intelligence-based startup Papercup to dub the iconic Bob Ross series, “The Joy of Painting,” for the international OTT marketplace.
The Bob Ross Channel is set to be dubbed in Latin American Spanish and will be released across the U.S. and Latin America. Eventually, Cinedigm plans to dub the program in other key languages and expand into additional international marketplaces.
Despite being the company’s most popular channel, manually dubbing all 31 seasons and accurately capturing Ross’s soft and novel narration would be prohibitively expensive. However, thanks to Papercup’s AI voice technology, the localization process is now purportedly cost-efficient and highly accurate.
The AI-based company’s technology uses machine translation and a synthetic voice that has been extensively trained via machine learning to accurately detect and dub Ross’s voice. The resulting narration is purportedly indistinguishable from a human voice.
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“The Bob Ross Channel is one of our most successful channels due to its broad appeal and the magic that Bob Ross’ talent and innovation brought to the screen,” said Tony Huidor, chief technology and product officer at Cinedigm, in a statement. “In partnering with Papercup, we are harnessing an innovative technology partner to extend the reach of ‘The Joy of Painting’ by utilizing cutting-edge technology to seamlessly dub his voice using artificial intelligence and synthetic speech. As streaming services continue to expand worldwide, this will allow us to reach a previously untapped global audience.”
While “The Joy of Painting” is available on linear public television, Cinedigm owns exclusive OTT rights for the entire Bob Ross catalog.
Cinedigm’s properties include a mix of premium SVOD services and dedicated AVOD and FAST channels, including in indie film (Fandor), horror (Screambox and Bloody Disgusting), and family entertainment (Dove Channel), as well as dedicated channels for iconic personalities like Elvis Presley, which is coming soon.