Note
Speaker detection is available on all Wistia plans.
Speaker identification organizes transcript dialogue by speaker name. You can also edit and save speakers to your Speaker Library for future use.
Label speakers
Click on any speaker label in the transcript to add an existing speaker name or create a new one.
Naming a generic speaker label (like "Speaker 1") applies that name to every paragraph with that label. If a paragraph already has a named speaker, picking a different speaker changes only that paragraph.
Speaker information syncs both ways with your media page. If you've already added speakers to a media's metadata, you can assign them to the transcript, and speakers you add in the transcript will also appear on the media page.
Tip
Speaker detection accuracy depends on audio quality and how distinct the voices are, so inaccuracies may sometimes occur. If a paragraph is attributed to the wrong person, you can reassign it directly in the transcript editor on the media's manage page. Speaker changes made on the media page also show in the editor's transcript panel.
Expected behavior for speaker changes
Some speaker changes affect only the paragraph you're editing. Others affect every paragraph for that speaker, or the whole media.
Changes to a single paragraph
Reassign a paragraph: Click the speaker label on the paragraph and choose a different speaker. Only that paragraph changes.
Add a speaker to a paragraph: Click the speaker label, type a name in "Add a speaker...", then select "Add [name]." The new speaker is assigned to that paragraph and added to the media.
Changes to every paragraph for a speaker
Name a generic speaker: Assigning a name to a label like "Speaker 1" names every paragraph with that label.
Edit a speaker: Changing a speaker's name or details updates every place that speaker appears, including other media and webinars.
Remove a speaker from the media: On the media page, click the speaker's name and select "Remove from media." Every paragraph assigned to that speaker goes back to a generic label.
Changes to the whole media
Hide speakers from viewers: This hides all speaker names on the media. You can't hide just one speaker or one paragraph.
Note
You can't remove the speaker label from just one paragraph. To fix a single paragraph, reassign it to the correct speaker instead.
Hide speakers from viewers
To hide existing speaker names for a single media, select “Hide speakers from viewers” in the ellipsis dropdown menu.
Speaker names will be hidden on the media page and wherever the transcript is visible. You can restore the names at any time by returning to the dropdown menu and selecting “Show speakers to viewers”; all previous speaker information will be retained.
Speaker Library
Your Speaker Library contains all existing speaker names, along with speaker bios and media in which they’re mentioned. To access your Speaker Library, navigate to the “Speakers” tab in your account settings.
Here, you can add new speakers to use in future transcripts, edit speaker information and bios, and delete speakers.
Learn more about the Speaker Library here.
Note
Speakers are managed on a per-video basis; they cannot be added to multiple videos at once or detected automatically by face or voice.
Account-level settings
In addition to managing speakers in the Speaker Library, Account Owners can configure automatic speaker identification for all media from the “Account” tab in their account settings.
When enabled, speakers will be automatically identified in all existing and future media transcripts. You can still disable speaker information for individual media.
FAQ
Are speaker names included in my captions?
No. Speaker identification affects the transcript display only and does not change the captions overlaid on your video, and speaker names are not added as prefixes in caption files. Speaker labels appear on the media page, Channel episodes, and transcript embeds.
Are speakers included in exported transcripts?
Not in the SRT, VTT, or TXT files from the Download menu. Speaker labels are stored separately from the transcript text. To get a transcript with speaker names, ask the Wistia agent for a transcript with speaker labels, or use the API's Show Captions endpoint with include_speakers=true for a TXT grouped by speaker.
If I edit a speaker, does it update everywhere?
Yes. When you edit a speaker's information in the library, the changes apply to all webinars, videos, and transcripts that reference that speaker.
Can I remove a speaker label from just one paragraph?
No. You can reassign a paragraph to a different speaker, but you can't leave it without a speaker. Removing a speaker from the media clears their name from every paragraph assigned to them, and hiding speakers hides all names on the media.