action audio hero

Tennis Australia Action Audio

Problem

Live sport is seen as a visual experience. But does it have to be? For more than 285 million people worldwide living with blindness or low vision (BLV), the thrill of a match has largely been out of reach. Speed. Drama. Spatial excitement. These belong to everyone. Decades of innovation have transformed sports broadcasting. But not enough.

Background

Since 2019, we’ve partnered with Tennis Australia and Monash to close that gap. By using Hawkeye’s precise court technology, we gave existing data a new direction.

Ambition

To create a world-first system that translates every match into spatial audio in real time. To calibrate technology to the BLV experience. To set a new global standard for accessibility in sport.

IDEA THE GAME BEYOND SIGHT

Action Audio adds a new dimension to the live sport experience for blind and low-vision audiences.

We looked at Hawkeye from a new angle. The data already existed, the imagination didn't. Hawkeye's real-time ball-tracking becomes immersive 3D soundscapes. Every rally, volley and ace, made audible.

AKQA, Tennis Australia and Monash University co-designed the experience with the BLV community, whose input across two years of iterative testing shaped both the thinking and the execution.

This is the first system to tune sports broadcasting to the BLV sensory experience. We’re now trialling it across new sports.

The world’s first spatial audio system for broadcasting live sport.

Role

Concept development
01

Concept development

Co-designed the core concept with Tennis Australia, Monash University and the BLV community.

Spatial audio design
02

Spatial audio design

Created the world’s first spatial audio system for live sport, translating ball-tracking data into a 3D audio experience.

Community co-design
03

Community co-design

Crafted the experience across two years of iterative testing with the Blind Tennis Association and Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria.

Data integration
04

Data integration

Engineered the real-time connection between Hawkeye's ball-tracking system and the spatial audio output, the first time the technology had been applied to accessibility.

Pilot launch
05

Pilot launch

Launched Action Audio at the Australian Open finals, giving blind and low-vision fans their first real-time live sport experience.

Tournament-wide rollout
06

Tournament-wide rollout

Extended coverage to every match at Rod Laver Arena, accessible via AO live radio and Google Assistant.

A young girl with long brown hair and glasses sits in a chair, smiling and laughing while wearing large headphones. She is dressed in a blue T-shirt and light pants, appearing happy and relaxed indoors.
07

Scalability and open access

Scaled across over 80 tennis tournaments worldwide, expanding into cricket, football and basketball.

Cross-sport adaptation
08

Cross-sport adaptation

Expanded the system to bring live basketball to blind and low-vision audiences as part of the NBA Launchpad programme.

Result

Action Audio became the world's first system to make live sport accessible through spatial audio. A new global standard for accessibility in sport.

At the 2021 Australian Open finals, it brought live tennis to blind and low-vision audiences for the first time.

By 2022, it was in every Rod Laver Arena match.

In 2023, the NBA Launchpad programme selected it for basketball, piloting the system across NBA games.

Inclusion is innovation.

  • 1st

    System to augment sports with audio for accessibility

  • 6K+

    Blind and low vision Australians at launch

  • 80+

    Tennis tournaments now delivering Action Audio

  • 285M+

    Blind and low vision people worldwide have a pathway to live sport

  • Winner

    World Changing Idea Award

  • Winner

    Diversity and Inclusion

  • Winner

    Digital Design Interface

  • Yellow

    Experiential Use of Technology

  • Yellow

    Entertainment Audio

  • Gold

    Essence of the Message

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