WebVTT

The early drafts of its specification were written by the WHATWG in 2010 after discussions about what caption format should be supported by HTML5—the main options being the relatively mature, XML-based Timed Text Markup Language (TTML) or an entirely new but more lightweight standard based on the widely used SubRip format.

The final decision was for the new standard, initially called WebSRT (Web Subtitle Resource Tracks).

[4][5] In the January 13, 2011, version of the HTML5 Draft Report, the element was introduced and the specification was updated to document WebVTT cue text rendering rules.

[6] The WebVTT specification is a W3C Candidate Recommendation, and the basic features are supported by all major browsers.

A sample file from the W3C captioning Roger Bingham interviewing Neil deGrasse Tyson ([1]):[13] In June 2013, an example was added to the specification that included a new "region" setting.