ATP Finals: Audio Description Service Now Available
The ATP Finals in Turin, scheduled for November 15–22, will be taken to the next level thanks to CMT Translations’ inclusive technology, which will help fans with visual impairments discover every detail of the matches through a hyperreal-time audio description of the action on the blue court, where the world’s top eight tennis players will compete, including ATP No. 1 Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Flavio Cobolli.
“Connect Me Too,” the audio description service developed by CMT Translations for blind and visually impaired people, will be activated for the first time. This will allow viewers to follow the matches through a hyper-descriptive commentary provided by a specially trained professional audio describer. The narration is not limited to rallies and points but also describes the players’ movements on the court, their facial expressions, body language, the colors and details of their attire, the enthusiasm of the Italian crowd, and the entire atmosphere of the arena—conveying in words the visual details that make the tennis match experience complete.
The audio description will accompany the action on the court and will be broadcast via 5G and 4G networks. Accessing the service is very easy: simply download the free “Connect Me Too” app onto your smartphone from the Android Play Store or the Apple Store, register, select the event, enter the code for the session for which you purchased your ticket, and connect your earbuds or headphones.
For the sixth year in a row, the world’s top tennis players will compete in Turin: ATP No. 1 Alexander Zverev, a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion; Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Australian Open champion; Ben Shelton, a US Open finalist; Daniil Medvedev, the 2020 tournament champion, Flavio Cobolli, a Roland Garros finalist, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, and Rafael Jodar.
“In tennis, during the match, the audience is silent. Those who cannot see hear the shot and the applause, but they don’t know where the ball landed or what a player’s expression reveals after losing a point. For the first time, audio description is coming to the Nitto ATP Finals—the tournament that closes out the season with the world’s best players—and it’s happening in Italy. Tennis is the toughest challenge for a narrator: a breakneck pace, very brief pauses, and no room for unnecessary words. Starting Sunday, even those who are visually impaired will be able to say they were truly there,” said Tony D’Angelo, project manager for ‘Connect Me Too’ at CMT Translations.
“Connect Me Too®” is a well-established presence in the field of sports and cultural accessibility: for several years now, this technology has been used at national and international events and by organizations that prioritize inclusion. Over the years, the audio description system has been used by the Italian national rugby team. It has also supported the UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals and various winter sports events, from figure skating to hockey, and from skiing to snowboarding.
The application has also made its way into the cultural sphere, with an opera performance at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. With the Nitto ATP Finals, the service makes its debut in elite tennis and is used by the Italian national soccer team, Serie A and B soccer clubs, in basketball, and by the national team.
