Action Audio Ball-Tracking Tech Lets Sight-Challenged Fans See' Tennis Introduced at Australian Open, the system converts officiating data is into audio cues By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - 6:55 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Last month's Australian Open attracted a lot of attention during its two weeks of tennis, chiefly for the Novak Djokovic imbroglio. But the first slam of the year was significant for another development: the debut of Action Audio, a new ball-tracking technology that enables blind and visually challenged fans to experience the game in a new and more intense manner, using sound to interpret ball and racquet cues.
Tennis courts on the pro circuit use line-and-ball-tracking infrastructure comprising 10-12 cameras to collect data to support official calls on whether a shot landed in or out of play. Action Audio uses that infrastructure, which can track the ball's movement at nearly 50 times a second, and converts the data into 3D sound. The process takes less than a second, allowing it to be broadcast in real time alongside live announcer commentary.
Aural Cues Based on Familiar Sonic Languages' To aurally indicate how close the ball is to the sideline or baseline, the data is processed into a series of audio beeps derived from existing sonic languages familiar to blind and low-vision audiences. If the ball is close to the line, three blips are heard; if it lands farther inside the line, two blips; one blip means the ball was hit toward the middle of the court.
AKQA's Tim Devine: Action Audio lets the listener create a picture in the mind's eye from the sounds.
In addition, the sounds are processed in stereo, with the beeps' left-right speaker placement reflecting the side of the court the play is on. Further, as the ball moves around the court during play, it produces jingles and rattles, loudest when the player strikes the ball and fading gradually as the ball travels. Tonality also is used: high-pitched clinks indicate a forehand; low-pitched clinks indicate a backhand.
Created by a partnership of Tennis Australia, Monash University, and UK-based digital-design and -communications agency AKQA, Action Audio was available as an online audio stream across every match at the Rod Laver Arena via Australian Open live radio and through Google Assistant. It was the first-ever major sports competition to provide such an experience for blind and low-vision fans. It had been beta-tested at the Australian Open 2021 tennis finals, following a two-year process of co-design and prototyping with members of the blind and low-vision community.
The challenge was really about, how do we give people more information in a really simple form? And the whole point of Action Audio is to give [visually challenged] people more information that allows them to make their own appraisal of what's happening on the court, says AKQA Executive Innovation Director Tim Devine, the project lead on Action Audio, from his office in Queensland, NZ. Obviously, there are radio commentators who talk in real time and as it's happening, but they are reducing the information to their view of what's happening. Action Audio lets the listener create a picture in the mind's eye from the sounds.
Action Audio technology debuted as an online audio stream at the 2022 Australian Open but can be synched with picture and audio for broadcast or streaming.
The Action Audio feed for the Australian Open was available as a synchronized stream, although it was used only on radio for this event. Devine says any broadcast or streaming service can access it and sync it with picture and audio.
It's effectively another audio stream that we can overlay on any broadcast, he explains, adding that it is also accessible via Google Assistant, a platform often used by the blind.
Headphones are preferred to fully experience the Action Audio experience, which is designed to work in a binaural mode, mimicking the ability to locate sound's directionality. Devine notes that Apple's AirPods can accommodate the head-related transfer function (HTRF) response, which characterizes how the ear-brain connection receives and processes a sound from a point in space, and can interact with Action Audio's binaural capability.
A Future in Sports Broadcasting Devine says the company is currently actively seeking partnerships, including with sports broadcasters. He believes that the technology underpinning Action Audio can be extended to a number of sports. Many, he points out, are increasing the amount of data they can generate as part of their normal operations, such as the Hawk-Eye line-calling system used by the NFL and USTA and the VAR play-review system used by Premier League and other soccer leagues.
Data is going to continue to grow around all sports and become more accessible around more sports, and the audio technology is going to grow around it, he says, suggesting that Action Audio is one way to use that data as a portal to an augmented-reality sports metaverse.
The immersive aspect of these spaces requires a significant investment in audio streams, he adds. Action Audio is part of that. It's designed for blind sports fans, but it can open the door to much more.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Action Audio Ball-Tracking Tech Lets Sight-Challenged Fans See' Tennis Introduced at Australian Open, the system converts officiating data is into audio cues By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
