Previous research in audiovisual translation has investigated subtitle quality and quality assurance without giving much consideration to the subtitler’s perspective. This paper analyses data from an email interview study with 19 freelance subtitling professionals producing German-language subtitles, capturing their accounts of these issues. As data had already been collected from 59 subtitling professionals from the same linguaculture a decade ago, the data allow the evaluation of how subtitlers understand and theorize subtitle quality over time. The subtitlers’ narratives reveal a shift in quality perceptions that may be interpreted in light of the rise of multilingual global streaming services and their business model. Whereas subtitlers view themselves as professionals carrying out complex language work and seeking first and foremost to be good at their job, they consider that streaming companies take a mercantile approach to language and subtitles, foregrounding the control of cost and time over quality, thereby devaluing the work of subtitlers. Future research should investigate the effect of shifting business practices on the subtitler’s role and competence profile and, ultimately, on subtitle quality.