
P-X-P Is Striving Toward Play-by-Play in American Sign Language The interpretation company will provide ASL signing during NHL Stanley Cup Finals By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 11:34 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Audio is defined not only by sound but by its absence. In fact, a hallmark of digital audio is its ability to convey absolute silence, uncluttered by the inherent noise created by tape, vinyl, and other contact recording and reproduction formats.
But absolute silence is a fact of life for approximately 1 million Americans, who have what the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) describes as disabling hearing loss. That number balloons to 30 million, according to the National Institutes of Health, when the hard-of-hearing category is included. And they're big fans of sports on television.
P-X-P's Brice Christianson (left) and Jason Altmann founded the ASL interpretation company in 2020.
The passion [the] Deaf community has for sports is very real, says P-X-P COO Jason Altmann, who describes himself as third-generation deaf. He founded the Milwaukee-based company in August 2020 with partner CEO Brice Christianson to develop and provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services for broadcast sports and live events. The company started out providing the service for NHL Milwaukee Bucks media events, such as press conferences, in 2021. Unfortunately, Altmann adds, the majority of professional sports leagues and teams do not offer a [completely] accessible and inclusive experience.
P-X-P's mission is to change that, according to Christianson, who is CODA (child of deaf parents) and hearing himself. He notes that the closed captioning used on television isn't an alternative to ASL.
ASL is an actual, bona fide language, he explains, whereas captioning is simply the [transcription] of whatever language the speaker is speaking, delineating the difference between interpretation - P-X-P's intent - and simple dictation. Deaf persons would rather see the signing than read captioning, because ASL is their language. Captions, especially when done using AI, don't achieve that goal because they are often filled with grammatical errors and misspellings.
The NHL Hears the Message P-X-P's biggest success thus far has been with the Bucks, and the company has been performing similar services for Seattle's Kraken of the NHL and OL Reign of the NWSL. A breakthrough came last year when it interpreted for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's state-of-the-league address prior to the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. It will reprise that role this year, when Bettman speaks before the Finals commence in Las Vegas on June 3, broadcast by TNT/WDC Sports.
P-X-P's Brice Christianson (right) signed NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's address prior to the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.
Our relationship with the NHL began a few years ago when [Bucks VP, Arena Experience,] Kieran Nulty, who was our first connection to the NHL, introduced us to [NHL VP, Growth Strategies and Innovation,] Paul LaCaruba, Christianson recalls, noting that a formal partnership was announced on Dec. 3, 2022, UNESCO's International Day of Persons With Disabilities (IDPD). From there, I developed a relationship with Paul and several others within the NHL. We unveiled our vision last year, [interpreting] the commissioner's address at Ball Arena ahead of the first game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning. And it blew up it and went international.
Since then, P-X-P also done ASL interpretation for the league's Winter Classic, its Stadium Series games, and the All-Star Game, in the process doing some training in ASL applications for the league as well. A P-X-P interpreter will sign the commissioner's pre-Stanley Cup Finals speech again this year, as well as the national anthem and other pre-match events.
P-X-P interpreters appear on-screen either on stage with speakers or in picture-in-picture inserts. That accomplishes two things, says Christianson: it gets the ASL translation across in real time (the American Sign Language University stipulates an ASL signing rate of 110-130 words per minute) while also putting the interpreter onscreen as the face of the Deaf community at large.
I think a lot of times we focus solely on accessibility that we forget to include the Deaf community and make them a part and recognize that they're a vital part of the fanbase of sports, he says.
The ultimate goal, says Christianson, is to sign a game in progress, including color and play-by-play commentary, something he says P-X-P and the NHL have been building toward.
What we have with the NHL is unique on so many levels, he explains, but what I really appreciate is that they listen rather than our being told, Hey, this is what we're going to do.' We've been building this and going to NHL headquarters, meeting the staff, having Jason present in American Sign Language. For a lot of [the staff], that was the first time that they'd ever met a deaf person. You could feel it - it was palpable, their realizing, here's a brilliant deaf individual who just unveiled how inaccessible sports is.
It would be a huge moment for the Deaf community, Christianson continues, as well as for me professionally and personally to do play-by-play and interpret color commentary. That has never been done before, and we're working toward that. There'll be bumps and hiccups, but it's definitely doable.
Signing Sports Jargon Most languages are dynamic; they have to be to accommodate the evolution of the world they seek to describe. That's true of ASL as it moves deeper into broadcast sports and especially as more athletes are wired for sound, vastly increasing
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Linda May Han Oh Receives Guggenheim Fellowship The Berklee professor, bassist, and composer will use the fellowship to debut Dreams of Knowing, an interdisci...
17/06/2026
EVS has announced it has received the EcoVadis Gold Medal for sustainability performance, ranking among the top 5% of companies globally in the Technology/Mid-S...
17/06/2026
Chyron has released Weather 2.4, an update to its weather suite for broadcasters and meteorologists. The release focuses on enhancements to the DataFlow module,...
17/06/2026
VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, has announced the launch of Best Bets TV, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel. The 24/7 channel is currently avail...
17/06/2026
DAZN's Team Whistle and Snap Inc. have announced a creator program centered ...
17/06/2026
LiveU is providing video transmission technology for broadcasters, production companies, and public safety agencies across North America's busy Summer of So...
17/06/2026
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has announced that Laurens Grant and Jacob Ullman have joined its Board of Directors. Chief of Staf...
17/06/2026
Akta, the AI-First SaaS video platform for modern broadcast and streaming operations, today announced that its video platform is now generally available on Orac...
17/06/2026
This recent graduate from Houston found inspiration in technical directing and now eyes a future career in sports production...
17/06/2026
Audio-Technica (booth C7959) arrives at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas with a slate ...
17/06/2026
SNS has published a guide addressing growing demand for AI-powered video indexing, transcription, facial recognition, and searchable metadata across media libra...
17/06/2026
Providius has announced Providius Direct, a workflow for investigating network i...
17/06/2026
NEP Group has announced the commercial availability of NEP Platform, a software ...
17/06/2026
A new white paper examining Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and Reliable Interne...
17/06/2026
New research from subscription bundling platform Bango finds that younger sports fans are increasingly consuming sport through highlights, clips, and social med...
17/06/2026
SMPTE has announced that its complete Standards catalog is now freely available to the global media technology community, including all published SMPTE Standard...
17/06/2026
Harmonic has completed the sale of its Video Business to MediaKind for $145 mill...
17/06/2026
Omaha Productions will produce the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vega...
17/06/2026
New features, changes & bug fixes
SoundBridge have just released another update for their remote collaboration-focused DAW - reviewed here in SOS March 2026...
17/06/2026
Valve-based front end for digital & modelling rigs
The latest addition to Fryette's product range delivers a packed-down, pedalboard-friendly version of...
17/06/2026
GearExpo UK - 27 June 2026
Sound On Sound are proud to announce GearExpo UK, a major new recording and music technology exhibition in London! This is the bi...
17/06/2026
SAM monitoring line-up gains Dante and AES67 support
The latest expansion of Genelec's UNIO monitoring ecosystem introduces a new device that provides D...
17/06/2026
The R&S PR300 portable receiver from Rohde & Schwarz sets new standards in spect...
17/06/2026
Elt Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
The Immersive Supervisor Emerges as Hollywood's Next Production Role
Brie Clayton June 17, 2026
0 Comments
Above image: On set live immersive revi...
17/06/2026
Vertical Musical Playback Shot with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton June 17, 2026
0 Comments
Large format sensor and DaVinci Resolve workflow used fo...
17/06/2026
DAZ 3D Launches New Game-Ready Character Assets Built for Modern Engines and Pro...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Montr al, Quebec, June 11, 2026 Kiloview, a leading provider of AV-over-IP and NDI -based video transmission solutions, today announced a distribution partner...
17/06/2026
Changsha, China, June 15, 2026 Kiloview officially announced the launch of U4 IP Video Dock, a compact IP video decoder and output dock designed to bring prof...
17/06/2026
Save 50% on All Ivory II Pianos and Collections
Were halfway through the year, and we're cutting prices in half for the Ivory II Summer Sale!
For a limite...
17/06/2026
Wednesday 17 June 2026
Two in three fans will connect to venue WiFi this World ...
17/06/2026
Visibility builds credibility - the tools you use every day, now visible on your LinkedIn profile Published on Jun 17, 2026 Categories: Company News, Product ...
17/06/2026
Transaction Positions Harmonic as a Pure-Play Broadband Company SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 17, 2026 - Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtual...
17/06/2026
FOX Advertising To Launch Industry's First End-to-End Agentic Advertising Pl...
17/06/2026
How SGN is future-proofing critical national infrastructure with Arqiva Managed Connectivity.
When disruption becomes the norm As Storm Eunice tore across the ...