A method and apparatus for synchronizing audio and video portions of a media program signal is disclosed. In a transmitting embodiment, the method comprises the steps of identifying a video event according to an video event discriminant in the video signal, and inserting a timing signal into the audio signal, and the apparatus comprises a video analysis module for identifying a video event according to an video event discriminant in the video signal, a timing signal generator for generating a timing signal, and a mixer for inserting the timing signal into the audio signal.