Most Productions Still Confuse CCSL with Closed Captions — And It's Costing Them Deliveries

LOS ANGELES - EntSun -- As global distribution standards tighten, Gotham CCSL is sounding the alarm: countless producers, post supervisors, and content creators are still confusing CCSL (Combined Continuity and Spotting List) with Closed Captioning — a mistake that leads to rejected deliveries, delayed launches, and expensive do-overs.

Why It Matters

"We get asked this all the time," says the Gotham CCSL team. "Many clients confuse captions with CCSLs, but only CCSLs fulfill the deep documentation needs required by distributors, dubbing studios, and international buyers."

Both deliverables are important — but they are not interchangeable.

What's the Difference?

Closed Captioning (CC):

• Viewer-facing text that appears on screen
• Designed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Includes dialogue, speaker identification, and essential sound descriptions
• Required by law for broadcast and many streaming platforms
• Delivered in formats like .scc, .srt, or .vtt

CCSL (Combined Continuity and Spotting List):

• A technical document used behind the scenes
• Required for localization, dubbing, quality control, and archival delivery
• Includes full scene descriptions, shot-by-shot camera actions, music cues, dialogue, and sound effects with frame-accurate timecodes
• Delivered as a formatted PDF, Excel, or Word file
• Essential for platform delivery to Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and others

About Gotham CCSL

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Based in New York City and working globally, Gotham CCSL provides high-precision continuity and spotting services for TV, film, and streaming projects. Whether you're prepping a pilot, a feature film, or a full-season episodic, we specialize in helping projects meet platform-specific delivery standards.

Contact Gotham CCSL

📧 info@gothamlab.com
🌐 www.gothamccsl.com

📍 New York City based — Delivering Worldwide