ITV, in partnership with Guinness, is bringing live audio description commentary to its coverage of matches during UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.The descriptive commentary aims to bring to life TV pictures for a blind and partially sighted audience, giving a level of visual detail of the action and the surrounding stadium atmosphere beyond the standard broadcast commentary. The service will be available during ITV’s coverage of all England and Wales matches throughout the tournament, starting with England vs France on July 5th on ITV1 and STV.The new audio commentary builds on the success of ITV and Guinness partnering to bring audio descriptive commentary for the past two years during the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship – the first time the technology had been used for a UK broadcast sporting event. It can be accessed by turning on the audio description function on a TV.The commentary will be provided by Dave Rogers and Joe Byrnes, both highly experienced audio descriptive sports commentators.Every match of this year’s tournament will air on ITV1, ITVX and STV, with matches that are on at the same time broadcast on ITV4.Nick Payman, Head of Guinness, commented: “”We are incredibly proud to extend our partnership with ITV to bring live audio descriptive commentary to the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. This initiative builds on Guinness’s commitment to making sport as inclusive and accessible as possible, ensuring that even more fans can experience this summer’s tournament.”Mark Trinder, ITV Director of Commercial Sales and Partnerships, added: “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to ITV’s live descriptive commentary during the last two Six Nations Championships and I’m thrilled our partnership with Guinness means that we can extend it to the biggest sporting event of this summer. Live descriptive commentary means that families and friends with varying accessibility needs can finally enjoy live coverage together, making sports more inclusive for everyone.”Sonali Rai, RNIB’s Media Culture and Immersive Technology Lead said: “This is a real game changer for blind and partially sighted football fans to be able to enjoy football in real time and not be excluded from the magical moments that happen during tournament football. Audio description transforms how blind and partially sighted football fans can fully engage in the game.“ITV’s and Guinness’ continued investment in high-quality live descriptive commentary is a significant step forward. It’s not just a technical achievement — it’s a recognition of the right for blind and partially sighted football viewers to belong in the sporting moment as it happens. We wish England and Wales all the best in Switzerland and hope the AD coverage will bring more people with sight loss into the game.”
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