Many blind and low vision sports fans spectate through the same channels as sighted people. Despite having the technology to provide equal access to fans of all visual abilities, the sports broadcast experience is prohibitive for this sports loving audience. TV broadcasts rely on visual information while radio commentary is too slow to provide real-time updates.

It is relevant as it draws on existing real-time data technologies and platforms to create a new experience for a segment of sports lovers who have been historically underserved by broadcasters. Through creative use of technology and media, we’ve been able to expand access.

Situation

The world’s approx. 285 million people living with blindness or low vision are prohibited from enjoying live sports broadcasts. Televised coverage relies heavily on visual storytelling, while radio commentary is two slow to keep up with on court action.

Brief

To use existing technologies to provide a real-time, unobtrusive audio experience that gives audiences insight into what’s happening, when it’s happening, without the need for visual information.

Objectives

To create a new standard for broadcast sports accessibility, and an experience that blind and low vision sports fans can enjoy socially.

While exploring spatialized sound in mixed reality, we discovered an opportunity to pair 3D sound with data to create soundscapes that held experiential and informational meaning.

Applying some of Neuroscientist David Eagleman’s ideas of ‘sensory replacement’ – that is, counteracting the loss of one sense by ‘feeding in’ additional information through another – we developed a concept to use ball and player tracking technology and sound design to give visually impaired audiences a ‘sense’ for the progress of a live sporting match.

Connecting with the Blind Tennis Association and Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria, we developed a data gathering and co-design process to create a set of sound design principles that could be applied to a tennis match that would enhance the spectating experience for blind and low vision sports fans.

Blind and low vision people are enthusiastic followers of live sports, despite traditional broadcast technologies failing to serve their needs.

There was an opportunity to use existing technologies and platforms to create a new experience for blind and low vision tennis fans, that would enable them to ‘see’ the match in real-time.

This was achieved through working collaboratively with Tennis Australia, Blind Tennis Australia and Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria to investigate how data from ball tracking systems could be translated into a set of sound design principles that would enhance the spectating experience.

After a two year process of co-design and iterative, Action Audio was launched on the Australian Open’s digital radio stream, and simulcast on Vision Australia radio.

The final implementation of Action Audio uses live data from the Australian Open’s Hawkeye ball monitoring system which is then translated through a sound design system to make matches ‘viewable’ through sound. Action Audio was integrated into the Australian Open experience through a dedicated digital stream on the AO website, and simulcast on Vision Australia Radio.

Audiences were notified of Action Audio’s availability through promotion on the Australian Open’s owned digital and social media channels, as well as through promotion across affiliate partner Blind Tennis Association and Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria social channels.

A dedicated microsite, Action-Audio.com served as a hub for the project, and contains additional information about how the system works, and an ‘onboarding’ process to use Action Audio during a live match. All materials were designed for full accessibility for blind and low vision audiences.

The service was featured as a dedicated audio stream on the Australian Open website, and was simulcast via Vision Australia Radio, a terrestrial radio service owned and operated by the low vision community.

Action Audio launched to a total global audience reach of over 275,000, and widespread media coverage including Fast Company, Channel Nine News and Adweek.

Many blind tennis fans reported that it was the first time they could follow an Australian Open final without assistance.

Engagement

~ 10-12k listeners on Vision Australia radio*

~ 1800 listeners via the AO website

~ 3k unique visitors** to the website - Action Audio

~ 1000* video impressions (roughly evenly split between the audio description version, and the other version)

~ 270k viewers on Channel 9 News coverage (source)

* Estimated by Conrad Brown, station manager Vision Australia

** Figures from the week following the tournament

Ball tracking data from the Australian Open’s Hawkeye point adjudication system forms the backbone of the Action Audio experience. Traditionally used for line calls and replays, the ability to activate this data as a live feed is in itself an innovation.

Over a two year process of co-design and prototyping with blind tennis fans, we developed a set of sound design principles to make best use of this data, and create an enjoyable and informative experience for blind audiences with minimal onboarding.

Insights include:

Social Consideration – Sport is a social experience. Action Audio is designed for co-watching experiences by both low vision and sighted audiences.

Existing Languages – We adopted existing sound ‘languages’ used in the blind community.

Accentuated Tension Points – Our sound design emphasises dramatic moments and breakthroughs within play.

Selective Auditory Attention – Action Audio should not override other necessary information or unnecessarily distract.