Live Subtitles to be available across all Sky Sports Premier League matches, while Live Descriptive Audio Commentary will be introduced on selected fixtures throughout the season.
As an extension of Guinness' existing Sky Sports Premier League sponsorship, Sky Sports and Guinness are launching a major new accessibility initiative that will make Premier League coverage more accessible for blind, partially sighted and hard-of-hearing fans.
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Beginning on Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11 with the Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool vs Manchester City games, viewers will be able to access Live Subtitles across all Premier League matches broadcast on Sky Sports' main channels, alongside Live Descriptive Audio Commentary on selected Premier League fixtures throughout the season.
The initiative represents the biggest accessibility rollout across Sky Sports platforms to date and has been developed to help more fans enjoy live football together, whether watching at home, with family and friends, or in social settings.
What is Live Descriptive Audio Commentary?
Live Descriptive Audio Commentary has been developed specifically for football supporters with sight loss.
Unlike traditional Audio Description, which adds occasional explanations to television content, the new service provides a continuous description of the match action, closer to the style of traditional radio commentary.
The enhanced commentary feed helps supporters follow the movement of play, key moments, atmosphere, off-pitch surroundings and on-pitch action as it unfolds, creating a richer and more immersive live football experience.
Feedback has been gathered from representative users, accessibility specialists, Sky Access Services and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
RNIB has played a key role throughout the development process, helping shape the final service to ensure it reflects the needs and expectations of blind and partially sighted supporters.
Live Subtitles across every front-channel Premier League match
Alongside Descriptive Audio Commentary, Live Subtitles will be available across all front-channel Premier League matches shown on Sky Sports.
The service will allow viewers to follow live commentary, analysis and on-screen dialogue in real time, helping make coverage more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
Together, the two services mark a significant step forward in making live sport more accessible to a wider audience.
How to access the services
Accessing both services is fully integrated into the viewing experience and can be enabled in just a few steps.
To switch on Live Descriptive Audio Commentary:
- Use Sky Voice Control
- Navigate to Settings > Accessibility
- Select the service from the on-screen options menu during the match
To switch on Live Subtitles:
- Open the on-screen options menu
- Visit Settings > Accessibility on your device
The services will be available across:
- Sky+
- Sky Q
- Sky Glass
- Sky Stream
- NOW
- Sky Sports on Virgin Media
Making football more accessible for everyone
The partnership reflects a shared ambition from Sky Sports and Guinness 0.0 to help make football accessible to as many supporters as possible.
By introducing both Live Subtitles and Live Descriptive Audio Commentary across Premier League coverage, the initiative aims to enhance the experience for blind, partially sighted and hard-of-hearing fans, while ensuring live football remains a shared experience that can be enjoyed together.
Fans can check via Sky if a match has Descriptive Audio Commentary available by simply opening your TV Guide and scrolling to the programme. The AD logo will appear alongside the title, and a short beep will also sound to indicate that the feature is available.
