09 October 2026
Accessibility features to improve the football viewing experience for blind and partially sighted fans will be available when the Premier League resumes on Saturday 10 October.
Live subtitles and descriptive audio commentary will be incorporated to front-channel Premier League matches viewed on Sky Sports.
The announcement was made on World Sight Day (Thursday 8 October).
Live subtitles will be available on approximately 210 games per season, whilst live descriptive audio commentary will be available for around 109 games per season.
The descriptive audio commentary has been designed to provide a continuous account of the game, allowing viewers to follow the movement of play, atmosphere and action on and off the pitch. The feature is described as being similar to traditional radio commentary.
The changes have been designed to make the Premier League more accessible for fans with visual and hearing impairments, and have been described as Sky Sports’ biggest expansion of live sports accessibility to date.
Testing was undertaken with support from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), accessibility specialists, Sky’s diversity advisory council, and users with visual and hearing impairments.
The RNIB provided detailed evaluations of both recorded content and live match tests to help shape the service and ensure that it reflected the needs of blind and partially sighted viewers.
The accessibility updates have been co-funded by Sky Media and Guinness, as an extension of Guinness’ sponsorship of the Premier League on Sky Sports.
Jonny Marshall, operational research officer at the RNIB, said: “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 subtitle and audio description services are integrated into the existing Sky viewing experience, and will be available across Sky+, Sky Q, Sky Glass, Sky Stream and NOW, and for viewers watching Sky Sports via Virgin Media.
Audio commentary can be enabled through voice control, Sky’s accessibility settings, or the on-screen options menu. Live subtitles can be activated through the options menu or accessibility settings.
Deb Ralls, 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.”
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