Vendor page
Timed Text Style Guide: General Requirements (Netflix)
Netflix Backlot Help Center, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- Netflix's general technical rules for timed text (subtitle and caption) files delivered to it, including minimum and maximum display durations for each subtitle event.
- How much weight it carries
- A streaming company's own delivery standard, useful as a concrete professional benchmark for subtitle timing. It governs Netflix deliveries, not captions in general, and the help page says to follow the language-specific guide as well.
Facts taken from this source
- Netflix's general timed text requirements set a maximum duration of 7 seconds for each subtitle event.
“Maximum duration: 7 seconds per subtitle event” (1. Duration)
- Netflix's general timed text requirements set a minimum duration of 5/6 of a second for each subtitle event.
“Minimum duration: 5/6 (five-sixths) of a second per subtitle event (e.g. 20 frames for 24fps)” (1. Duration)