TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have teamed up with Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) to offer at least 16 game broadcasts with live described video, making them the first professional sports organization to gear broadcasts towards audiences who are blind or partially sighted.
Speaking Wednesday evening at a CTAM Canada event at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, David Errington, president and CEO of AMI, praised the Canadian broadcasting for its commitment to accessibility and outlined his company’s goal to add more live events to its schedule. “When we do our research with our consumers, they want to consume media just like any other Canadian does, and live events are at the top of that, with Blue Jays baseball and sporting events at the top of that”, he said during the panel discussion moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien. “I can’t tell you enough about the positive feedback that we get back from the community, from the fact that they can participate in something like a Blue Jays game.”
The described video is provided by veteran sports commentators Jim Van Horne and Sam Cosentino. Van Horne, who also participated in the panel, noted that his role is to “fill in the blanks” of Sportsnet’s television play-by-play commentary by including details that sighted viewers take for granted – such as a description of on-screen graphics and pitch counts.
The partnership between Accessible Media and the Rogers-owned Jays began last fall when AMI aired three Sportsnet simulcasts. AMI has already aired two Blue Jays games so far this season, including the team’s home opener, and has the option to increase the number of games this season. Click here for the game schedule.
From left, Cartt.ca's Greg O'Brien, AMI CEO David Errington, Blue Jays VP Howard Starkman, sportscaster Jim Van Horne and AMI-TV reporter Kelly MacDonald. Photo courtesy Isabelle Bertrand.
