Live Subtitles and enhanced Descriptive Audio Commentary will make Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage more accessible for blind, partially sighted and hard-of-hearing fans
Sky Media and Guinness have today announced Sky Sports’ largest live sports accessibility rollout to date, introducingLive Subtitles and Live Descriptive Audio Commentary across Premier League coverage from 10 October 2026.
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 (8th October), 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 said: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 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 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.
Notes to editors:
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in nearly 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Crafting iconic drinks chosen for life’s moments.
About RNIB
We are the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Every six minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. A different world where society values blind and partially sighted people not for the disabilities they’ve overcome, but for the people they are.
RNIB. See differently. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk
About Sky Media
Sky Media is the advertising sales arm of Sky, helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to grow. Through world-class premium content & channels, combined with market leading data-driven innovations like AdSmart, Sky Media gives brands access to audiences wherever they are, however they watch — across linear TV, on-demand, streaming and digital platforms.
Reaching over 87% of the UK population, Sky Media represents over 130 channels including all of Sky’s quality channels and sites including Sky Sports, Sky News, Sky One, Sky Cinema, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, Sky Crime, Sky Comedy, Sky Witness, Sky Nature, Sky Documentaries and Sky HISTORY. Sky Media also sells on behalf of leading broadcasters including Paramount (Channel 5, MTV, Comedy Central), Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max, TNT Sports, Discovery), Disney, Narrative, Hearst Networks and AMC Networks.
Sky Media’s growing digital ecosystem extends far beyond traditional broadcast, offering scaled access to premium digital environments through partnerships and programmatic capabilities, alongside innovations in contextual targeting, attention measurement and cross-platform attribution.
As Europe’s leading direct-to-consumer media and entertainment company and owned by Comcast NBCUniversal, Sky Media has a truly global footprint. So, whether local, national, or international, new to TV, a startup looking to scale quickly or an established brand; Sky Media’s award-winning solutions deliver for brands.
