Sky Sports adds live subtitles, descriptive audio to EPL coverage

Sky Media and Guinness have announced Sky Sports’ largest live sports accessibility rollout to date, introducing Live Subtitles and Live Descriptive Audio Commentary across Premier League coverage from October 10th.

Co-funded by Sky Media and Guinness as an extension of Guinness’ sponsorship of the Premier League on Sky Sports, the initiative will bring Live Subtitles to all front-channel Premier League matches - approximately 210 games each season - alongside Live Descriptive Audio Commentary across around 109 games per season.

Announced on World Sight Day (October 8th), the partnership is designed to make the shared experience of watching live football more accessible for blind, partially sighted and hard-of-hearing fans, whether watching alone or alongside friends and family.

The new Descriptive Audio Commentary service has been developed specifically with visually impaired football supporters in mind, providing a continuous account of the action, closer to the style of traditional radio commentary, helping supporters follow the movement of play, atmosphere and action on and off the pitch.

The service has been developed through rounds of testing with feedback gathered from representative users, accessibility specialists, Sky’s diversity advisory council, Access Services and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). RNIB has played a key role throughout the development process, providing detailed evaluations of both recorded content and live match tests to help shape the final service and ensure it reflects the needs and expectations of blind and partially sighted supporters.

Karin Seymour, Director of Client & Marketing at Sky Media, commented: ”This partnership is a great example of how sponsorship can go beyond traditional brand activity and deliver something tangible for audiences. By co-funding the initiative with Guinness, Sky Media is bringing accessibility improvements to show how brands can use the scale of sports sponsorship to create a meaningful and lasting impact for fans.”

Deb Ralls (Caldow), Guinness GB Marketing Director, said: ”We want football to be enjoyed by everyone, whether that is at home, in the stadium or in the pub. We’re proud of our continued work in this space and our partnership with Sky Sports gives us an opportunity to use our sponsorship to make a meaningful difference for fans, and this initiative is a natural extension of that ambition.”

Jonny Marshall, Operational Research Officer at RNIB, added: ”Accessible sport works best when the people who use these services are involved in shaping them. By working with Sky and Guinness throughout the development and testing of this service, we’ve been able to share feedback on what can help blind and partially sighted supporters follow the action, atmosphere and movement of a live match, and enjoy that experience alongside friends and family.”

Both services are integrated into the existing Sky viewing experience. Descriptive Audio Commentary can be enabled through voice control, Accessibility Settings or the on-screen options menu, while Live Subtitles can be switched on through the options menu or Accessibility Settings. They will be available across Sky+, Sky Q, Sky Glass, Sky Stream and NOW, as well as for viewers watching Sky Sports via Virgin Media.