Guinness teams up with Virgin Media Television for a second year to provide live audio description and Irish Sign Language for viewers for the 2026 Guinness Six Nations

Tuesday 3rd February 2026: Ahead of this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Guinness has teamed up with Virgin Media Television (VMTV) for the second year running to provide live Audio Description & Irish Sign Language for viewers, continuing to make the Championship more accessible for fans.

Building on last year’s partnership, VMTV will once again provide live Audio Descriptive commentary for all Irish Six Nations games on Virgin Media One, ensuring greater accessibility for viewers who are blind or vision impaired. New for this year, VMTV is expanding its offering with a dedicated Irish Sign Language channel on Virgin Media Four, which will feature combined ISL and AD coverage, bringing increased visibility and prominence to ISL throughout the tournament. Virgin Media PLAY users will also be able to access AD and ISL coverage via Virgin Media Four on PLAY.

As part of this ongoing commitment to accessibility, VMTV – in conjunction with Guinness and other participating brands – will also be creating a fully accessible ad break for three of Ireland’s fixtures during the Guinness Men’s Six Nations: France v Ireland, Ireland v Italy and Ireland vs Scotland.

This year also sees an exciting new addition to the partnership: 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 all fans to get involved. By integrating ISL phrases directly into rugby coverage, the partnership aims to increase the visibility of ISL within the sport and invites fans to engage with the language by reinforcing rugby as a shared experience for Deaf and hearing audiences alike, with an emphasis on inclusion, visibility, and mutual learning.

Over 500,000* people in Ireland are either blind, visually impaired or deaf, making live sporting events less accessible. Guinness’s aim is to support the Irish media landscape in becoming even more representative of our modern & diverse society, giving equal opportunity to “see, hear & experience”. Alongside Virgin Media Television, Guinness hopes to make this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations a truly accessible experience for all, for consumers at home.

Marketing Manager at Guinness Ireland, Aine Kavanagh, said:

"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. At Guinness, we recognise the powerful feeling of belonging that rugby creates through shared rituals and experiences that unite us, embodying a 'Lovely Day for a Guinness.' By providing live Audio Description and Irish Sign Language for all matches, we are actively extending this feeling to a wider audience, fostering true participation and ensuring everyone can share in the excitement of the game."

Client Solutions Lead at Virgin Media Television, Sarah Taylor, said:

“The Six Nations sits at the heart of our schedule and is a key moment in the national conversation. We are delighted to continue our partnership with Diageo & Guinness for a second year, expanding accessibility through additional linear channels for ISL and audio description, alongside new initiatives that invite all fans—Deaf and hearing alike—to engage with rugby as a shared experience”.

Virgin Media Sports pundit and former Italy Rugby Player, Ian McKinley said:

“It is fantastic to see the steps both Guinness and Virgin Media Television are taking to create equal opportunities for those who are blind, visually impaired or deaf to experience this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship. The Guinness Six Nations brings together some of the world’s best teams and players and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy these matches while watching from home or in the stadium. I look forward to seeing this become possible across the board for all sporting events in the years to come.”

Group Client Director from PHD Media, Catherine Marley said:

“We’re thrilled to support Guinness and Virgin Media in their continued support of accessibility across sport, with more Ireland games now broadcast with AD and ISL, all available through linear to make it even easier for fans to access. Building on last year’s success, the reception from OMG network teams and clients to be involved in this year’s accessible ad break has been so encouraging. We hope this campaign continues to promote the wider industry to get behind and create more initiatives like this”

Key Fixtures:
Live Audio Description & Irish Sign Language will be available on Virgin Media Television for the below fixtures:

Thursday 5 February 2026:
20:10 - France v Ireland – Virgin Media One (Audio Descriptive Commentary & Irish Sign Language on Virgin Media Four)
Saturday 14 February 2026:
14:10 - Ireland v Italy – Virgin Media One (Audio Descriptive Commentary & Irish Sign Language on Virgin Media Four)
Saturday 14 March 2026:
14:10 - Ireland v Scotland – Virgin Media One (Audio Descriptive Commentary & Irish Sign Language on Virgin Media Four)

EPG Details for Virgin Media Four:
Virgin Media Platforms - Channel 106
Saorview - Channel 7
Sky platforms - Channel 160
Sky Glass - Channel 159

References:

*as per the latest census in 2022: 296,601 people have blindness or a vision impairment and 233,420 people have Deafness or a hearing impairment.