Dubhub’s AI-Driven Dubbing Breaks Down Language Barriers
After leaving the position of CEO of top distributor Eccho Rights in September 2023, in December last year Fredrik af Malmborg announced the launch of his new venture – Dubhub. The company’s business model combines cutting-edge AI technology with human creativity with the goal to provide content creators with unparalleled cost-efficient dubbing services.
Fredrik reveals more about the new company and its services in this conversation with Stanislav Kimchev.
Fredrik reveals more about the new company and its services in this conversation with Stanislav Kimchev.
Fredrik af Malmborg
Fredrik, could you share with us the story behind founding Dubhub and what motivated you to enter the AI-driven dubbing of TV series space?
At Eccho Rights, we operated major direct-to-consumer channels like YouTube for Turkish drama. We invested significant amounts in dubbing alongside licensing clients. Once we received dubbed content from clients, we created language-specific YouTube channels, amassing millions of subscribers. These channels were launched in major languages like Spanish and Arabic. Occasionally, we funded new dubs in additional languages, but due to high costs, the number of languages was limited.
When I connected with tech professionals from Stockholm’s audio-tech scene, the potential of AI-driven dubbing in 20-30 languages became clear. Over the past year, Dubhub, in collaboration with top tech talent, has developed advanced solutions to produce high-volume, low-cost AI-generated dubbing in numerous languages. Stockholm’s thriving tech community, which has also produced companies like Spotify, played a key role in making this possible. The potential for AI dubbing is immense.
The use of AI has been a hot topic in many industries. How would you address the main concerns of using artificial intelligence in dubbing?
The idea that machines will create perfect dubs without significant human intervention is unrealistic—at least for the foreseeable future. To achieve high-quality results, we typically require 10-15 hours of human input per dubbed hour. However, this is still a significant improvement in cost efficiency compared to traditional dubbing with real actors, where AI dubbing reduces costs to 10-30% of manual alternatives.
Trust in AI dubbing has been undermined by overpromises from tech enthusiasts who believe machines can do it all. Unfortunately, the results have often been subpar. At Dubhub, we bridge this gap by combining cutting-edge technology with skilled manual creative work. Our goal is to deliver quality dubs that meet expectations. While high-end Hollywood productions will likely rely on manual dubbing for years to come, the mid-quality market—Dubhub’s primary focus—has already proven ready for AI solutions.
For example, the potential for Turkish drama is extraordinary. With over 250.000 hours of content in archives, we can create significant new revenue streams by dubbing series into an additional 10-20 languages for direct-to-consumer channels. This represents enormous opportunities not only for Turkish content owners but also for creators of long-running series in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as reality TV producers with substantial volumes of content.
What sets Dubhub apart from other dubbing studios that are also leveraging AI technologies?
Dubhub specializes in building large production teams capable of delivering high-quality dubs in multiple languages at significantly lower costs. At Eccho Rights, we were often approached by AI dubbing companies, but their budgets frequently exceeded those of manual dubs, making their solutions unviable. Dubhub stands out by delivering large volumes of good-quality dubs at just 10-30% of traditional dubbing costs.
We’re not just tech developers creating software—we are a service company led by a team with extensive production experience.
How does Dubhub’s AI technology play a role in making dubbing more accessible, and what challenges did you face in developing this technology?
While many competitors have invested $30-40 million in venture capital to build their solutions, Dubhub uses a flexible approach that incorporates the best available technologies in transcription, translation, and voice synthesis for specific source and target languages. We’ve tested competitor solutions extensively, and our results are equal to or better than theirs—at a fraction of the cost.
The real difference comes down to our human production team. Dubhub is committed to building a world-class team. Additionally, our experience managing YouTube content and collaborating with top Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) enables us to offer unparalleled solutions. In some cases, we even co-invest in dubbing costs to minimize risks for content owners.
We’ve also developed innovative solutions for AI-generated ME (Music and Effects) tracks, addressing a significant gap for productions where such tracks are missing. This capability has solved a longstanding issue for many productions.
With the recent recruitment of Irina Divnogortseva and Sibel Levendoglu Martin, Dubhub is expanding its team with high-level talent. What unique strengths do these new hires bring to the table, and how will they contribute to Dubhub’s growth?
Our team comprises individuals with extensive experience in production and distribution. At my previous venture, Eccho Rights, I placed significant emphasis on recruiting the best talent, and this tradition continues at Dubhub. We will continue to recruit the best talent in the coming year.
Irina has extensive experience with AI-generated dubbing, and Sibel is a specialist in Turkish drama. How do you see these areas aligning with Dubhub’s long-term vision, particularly in terms of expanding into new markets?
Over the last decade, Turkish drama has led the way in direct-to-consumer publishing, particularly on YouTube. The rest of the world can learn a lot from how Turkish drama is produced and distributed.
Sibel’s bilingual proficiency in Spanish and Turkish is mentioned as an asset for Dubhub’s expansion into Mediterranean and Latin American markets. What do you see as the most exciting growth opportunities in these regions?
The potential for global growth is immense, not at least in the Spanish speaking world. Thanks to new technologies, major source language markets now have unprecedented opportunities to reach international audiences. Netflix’s success, for example, is largely driven by its investments in multilingual assets for its series.
In the coming years, this capability will no longer be exclusive to platforms like Netflix. Dubhub will collaborate with producers to ensure their content reaches global audiences. Language barriers are disappearing, which is great news, especially for creators from smaller countries. It’s worth noting that many of Netflix’s most-watched shows recently have been non-English series, proving that the source language is no longer a limiting factor—effective distribution is.
As a company headquartered in Stockholm with operations in Istanbul and the Netherlands, how does Dubhub manage to scale its operations internationally while maintaining quality and consistency in its dubbing services?
We anticipate building production teams comprising hundreds of people in the next year, possibly growing to 1.000 freelancers. A deep understanding of each source market and a commitment to building a truly global team are essential for success.
You previously led Eccho Rights and now head Dubhub. How does your background in TV and media production influence the direction and goals of Dubhub?
Over the past 10-15 years, we built an incredible company at Eccho Rights, driven by the belief that hit series can come from anywhere in the world. Dubhub builds on this legacy by breaking down language barriers and ensuring producers receive the value they deserve, regardless of their home country.
Dubhub focuses on large-volume clients in drama series, reality TV, animation, and documentaries. Could you discuss some of the key opportunities and challenges in dubbing for these genres, particularly with the rise of global streaming platforms?
The opportunities are enormous in all genres, including long running drama series, factual, reality and animation. Archives are unexplored but we also see us contributing in the financing of new productions that with no delays can reach new global audiences.
At Eccho Rights, we operated major direct-to-consumer channels like YouTube for Turkish drama. We invested significant amounts in dubbing alongside licensing clients. Once we received dubbed content from clients, we created language-specific YouTube channels, amassing millions of subscribers. These channels were launched in major languages like Spanish and Arabic. Occasionally, we funded new dubs in additional languages, but due to high costs, the number of languages was limited.
When I connected with tech professionals from Stockholm’s audio-tech scene, the potential of AI-driven dubbing in 20-30 languages became clear. Over the past year, Dubhub, in collaboration with top tech talent, has developed advanced solutions to produce high-volume, low-cost AI-generated dubbing in numerous languages. Stockholm’s thriving tech community, which has also produced companies like Spotify, played a key role in making this possible. The potential for AI dubbing is immense.
The use of AI has been a hot topic in many industries. How would you address the main concerns of using artificial intelligence in dubbing?
The idea that machines will create perfect dubs without significant human intervention is unrealistic—at least for the foreseeable future. To achieve high-quality results, we typically require 10-15 hours of human input per dubbed hour. However, this is still a significant improvement in cost efficiency compared to traditional dubbing with real actors, where AI dubbing reduces costs to 10-30% of manual alternatives.
Trust in AI dubbing has been undermined by overpromises from tech enthusiasts who believe machines can do it all. Unfortunately, the results have often been subpar. At Dubhub, we bridge this gap by combining cutting-edge technology with skilled manual creative work. Our goal is to deliver quality dubs that meet expectations. While high-end Hollywood productions will likely rely on manual dubbing for years to come, the mid-quality market—Dubhub’s primary focus—has already proven ready for AI solutions.
For example, the potential for Turkish drama is extraordinary. With over 250.000 hours of content in archives, we can create significant new revenue streams by dubbing series into an additional 10-20 languages for direct-to-consumer channels. This represents enormous opportunities not only for Turkish content owners but also for creators of long-running series in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as reality TV producers with substantial volumes of content.
What sets Dubhub apart from other dubbing studios that are also leveraging AI technologies?
Dubhub specializes in building large production teams capable of delivering high-quality dubs in multiple languages at significantly lower costs. At Eccho Rights, we were often approached by AI dubbing companies, but their budgets frequently exceeded those of manual dubs, making their solutions unviable. Dubhub stands out by delivering large volumes of good-quality dubs at just 10-30% of traditional dubbing costs.
We’re not just tech developers creating software—we are a service company led by a team with extensive production experience.
How does Dubhub’s AI technology play a role in making dubbing more accessible, and what challenges did you face in developing this technology?
While many competitors have invested $30-40 million in venture capital to build their solutions, Dubhub uses a flexible approach that incorporates the best available technologies in transcription, translation, and voice synthesis for specific source and target languages. We’ve tested competitor solutions extensively, and our results are equal to or better than theirs—at a fraction of the cost.
The real difference comes down to our human production team. Dubhub is committed to building a world-class team. Additionally, our experience managing YouTube content and collaborating with top Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) enables us to offer unparalleled solutions. In some cases, we even co-invest in dubbing costs to minimize risks for content owners.
We’ve also developed innovative solutions for AI-generated ME (Music and Effects) tracks, addressing a significant gap for productions where such tracks are missing. This capability has solved a longstanding issue for many productions.
With the recent recruitment of Irina Divnogortseva and Sibel Levendoglu Martin, Dubhub is expanding its team with high-level talent. What unique strengths do these new hires bring to the table, and how will they contribute to Dubhub’s growth?
Our team comprises individuals with extensive experience in production and distribution. At my previous venture, Eccho Rights, I placed significant emphasis on recruiting the best talent, and this tradition continues at Dubhub. We will continue to recruit the best talent in the coming year.
Irina has extensive experience with AI-generated dubbing, and Sibel is a specialist in Turkish drama. How do you see these areas aligning with Dubhub’s long-term vision, particularly in terms of expanding into new markets?
Over the last decade, Turkish drama has led the way in direct-to-consumer publishing, particularly on YouTube. The rest of the world can learn a lot from how Turkish drama is produced and distributed.
Sibel’s bilingual proficiency in Spanish and Turkish is mentioned as an asset for Dubhub’s expansion into Mediterranean and Latin American markets. What do you see as the most exciting growth opportunities in these regions?
The potential for global growth is immense, not at least in the Spanish speaking world. Thanks to new technologies, major source language markets now have unprecedented opportunities to reach international audiences. Netflix’s success, for example, is largely driven by its investments in multilingual assets for its series.
In the coming years, this capability will no longer be exclusive to platforms like Netflix. Dubhub will collaborate with producers to ensure their content reaches global audiences. Language barriers are disappearing, which is great news, especially for creators from smaller countries. It’s worth noting that many of Netflix’s most-watched shows recently have been non-English series, proving that the source language is no longer a limiting factor—effective distribution is.
As a company headquartered in Stockholm with operations in Istanbul and the Netherlands, how does Dubhub manage to scale its operations internationally while maintaining quality and consistency in its dubbing services?
We anticipate building production teams comprising hundreds of people in the next year, possibly growing to 1.000 freelancers. A deep understanding of each source market and a commitment to building a truly global team are essential for success.
You previously led Eccho Rights and now head Dubhub. How does your background in TV and media production influence the direction and goals of Dubhub?
Over the past 10-15 years, we built an incredible company at Eccho Rights, driven by the belief that hit series can come from anywhere in the world. Dubhub builds on this legacy by breaking down language barriers and ensuring producers receive the value they deserve, regardless of their home country.
Dubhub focuses on large-volume clients in drama series, reality TV, animation, and documentaries. Could you discuss some of the key opportunities and challenges in dubbing for these genres, particularly with the rise of global streaming platforms?
The opportunities are enormous in all genres, including long running drama series, factual, reality and animation. Archives are unexplored but we also see us contributing in the financing of new productions that with no delays can reach new global audiences.
