Grammy Awards 2023: CBS adds Spanish closed captioning post backlash
The 65th edition of the Grammy Awards was back in full swing on Sunday. The prestigious and highly-awaited musical event had it all - enthralling live performances, record-breaking moments, heart-warming speeches, and more! But, amid all this, the opening act by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles created a stir online. Scroll through to find out more.
Why does this story matter?
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, professionally known as Bad Bunny, is one of the biggest superstars in the music industry right now! He has three Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammys, and eight Billboard Music Awards to his name. The musician was also crowned as the most streamed artist on Spotify for the year 2022. Bad Bunny's Grammy opening performance was widely loved by the fans.
CBS faced backlash on Bad Bunny's opening act
CBS's love affair with the Grammys is widely known, as the network holds the deal to broadcast the grand musical event through 2026. But this year, the network faced backlash when Grammy viewers, who were using closed captioning while watching the live telecast of the prestigious award night noticed that on the Bad Bunny's performance, the caption said, "Speaking non-English" and "Singing in non-English."
During Bad Bunny's acceptance speech, the incident got repeated
The music sensation performed the mashup of El Apagón and Después de la Playa. The above-mentioned incident happened once again when Bad Bunny accepted the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. His acceptance speech was partially in Spanish language and the captions read, "Speaking non-English." All together, the "Speaking non-English" is a comprehensive term for all languages, and is built into the system.
CBS added Spanish CC later!
Netizens took to social media to express their disappointment on the network's unpreparedness. Many commenters also noted that regardless of the live nature, CBS should have been prepared, since Grammys opened with Bad Bunny's performance. CBS quickly took the feedback into cognizance, and by the time the award ceremony was re-broadcast in primetime on the West Coast, it included the Spanish language closed captioning.
Bad Bunny took home Best Música Urbana Album award
For his critically acclaimed set Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny took home the Grammy award for Best Música Urbana Album, adding to his three previous Grammy wins. The first-all Spanish language album made history, as it is the artist's fourth solo effort that was nominated for the coveted Album of the Year award, which was eventually won by Harry Styles for Harry's House.