Ahead of this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Guinness has renewed its partnership with Virgin Media Television to deliver enhanced accessibility for viewers, with expanded live Audio Description (AD) and Irish Sign Language (ISL) coverage across the Championship.

Building on the collaboration introduced last year, VMTV will once again provide live Audio Descriptive commentary for all Irish Six Nations matches on Virgin Media One, ensuring improved access for viewers who are blind or vision impaired.

New for 2026, VMTV is expanding its accessibility offering with a dedicated ISL channel on Virgin Media Four, featuring combined ISL and AD coverage. The move gives ISL greater visibility and prominence throughout the tournament, while Virgin Media PLAY users can also access the coverage via Virgin Media Four on the platform.

As part of the ongoing commitment to inclusive broadcasting, VMTV, in conjunction with Guinness and other participating brands, will also deliver fully accessible ad breaks during three of Ireland’s fixtures—France v Ireland, Ireland v Italy, and Ireland v Scotland—ensuring that advertising content is aligned with the same accessibility standards as the live match coverage.

A further addition to this year’s partnership is the introduction of ISL Rugby Tips, which will run throughout the tournament across all VMTV channels. These short segments invite viewers to learn key rugby terms in Irish Sign Language, encouraging broader engagement with the language and reinforcing rugby as a shared cultural experience for Deaf and hearing audiences alike.

By integrating ISL directly into editorial rugby content, the initiative places a strong emphasis on inclusion, visibility and mutual learning.

More than 500,000 people in Ireland are either blind, visually impaired or deaf, factors which can limit access to live sport. Guinness said the initiative reflects its ambition to support a media landscape that better represents modern Irish society and provides equal opportunity to see, hear and experience major sporting moments.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Virgin Media Television to elevate the accessibility of the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship in Ireland,” said Aine Kavanagh, Marketing Manager at Guinness Ireland. “At Guinness, we recognise the powerful feeling of belonging that rugby creates through shared rituals and experiences that unite us. By providing live Audio Description and Irish Sign Language for all matches, we are actively extending this feeling to a wider audience and ensuring everyone can share in the excitement of the game.”

Sarah Taylor, Client Solutions Lead at Virgin Media Television, said the Championship plays a central role in the broadcaster’s schedule. “The Six Nations sits at the heart of our national conversation, and we are delighted to expand accessibility through additional linear channels for ISL and audio description, alongside new initiatives that invite all fans to engage with rugby as a shared experience.”

Virgin Media Sports pundit and former Italy international Ian McKinley welcomed the initiative, saying the steps taken by Guinness and VMTV create greater equality for viewers at home and should set a benchmark for future sports coverage.

Catherine Marley, Group Client Director at PHD Media, added that industry support for accessible advertising had grown significantly, with the campaign encouraging wider adoption of inclusive practices across sport and broadcasting.

Image Credit: Virgin Media

 

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