The use of audio description for live events has generally been restricted to theatre and other performing arts, but a commercial service in Austria now provides live description for blind sports fans at football (soccer) matches.
This service was generated for the Euro 2008 Soccer Championship hosted by Austria. The in-stadium wireless transmission systems were retained and then used for Austrian Bundesliga (premier league) games. This has been extended to all games for the 2010/11 season.
Blind fans pick up the description via a wireless device and ear buds. It provides vital information on where the ball is and detailed descriptions of incidents during the game.
The audio description is also broadcast to a wider audience via ORF, the Austrian public broadcaster. There is a detailed description of this service on the digital content producer website.
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