LONDON—Webcam platform ImLive.com has announced that it is launching ImLive4TheBlind, a website whose main purpose is to provide the visually impaired with something approximating the live camming experience that millions around the world currently enjoy. The live sessions will be described and commented on by at least one mainstream sports broadcaster, giving the play-by-play on what’s going down so that the user can more accurately visualize what’s happening on the screen in front of them.
“Adult entertainment for the visually impaired has been severely lacking over the years, particularly in the live camming arena, and ImLive4TheBlind is happy to provide this service to an underserved community,” said Adrian Stoneman, VP of ImLive. “There’s no reason why a blind person should not be able to experience the arousal and gratification that can come with a live cam session. Our broadcasters are professionals who know how to build anticipation and can create a clear picture for users in real-time.”
Providing the narration to the cam session will be professional sports broadcasters who have been left jobless in the wake of the suspension of most sporting events due to COVID-19. ImLive originally offered well-known commentator Joe Buck the opportunity to lend his voice to aid the potentially millions of visually impaired Americans who could benefit, but while flattered, he respectfully declined. Inspired by the idea of others like Buck who were without a job, the company opened up to submissions from other commentators willing to do such work.
One who responded was Sean Wheelock, a veteran commentator of MMA and soccer broadcasts for Bellator and CONCACAF.
“I’m a broadcaster; my skills include being able to describe the action, whether it be on the field or in the bedroom, accurately and intimately enough so that viewers do not need to be able to see a screen to know what is going on,” said Wheelock, one of ImLive4TheBlind's commentators. “When you’re calling the play-by-play for the sporting event, you sometimes take for granted the people watching at home. Being able to participate in the project knowing that I’m enhancing a blind person’s enjoyment and pleasure in a chat that they otherwise would not be able to experience makes me appreciate the things that I maybe take for granted.”
Broadcasters will commentate live daily on select camming sessions, and ImLive will broadcast the audio of the chat to ImLive4TheBlind.com, entirely free of charge. Additionally, all audio files of the recorded live sessions along with video of the commentator will be uploaded to the site a few hours after the chat. The first session with live commentary took place on July 8, at 11 a.m. ET.
This is ImLive's latest initiative in the last few months after coordinating to help users with quarantining and social distancing. Most recently, ImLive brought on leading adult entertainer Riley Reid to provide tips and demonstrations after the company released survey findings in May that revealed a decline in sexual activity among couples that quarantined together. In April, the company launched an anti-dating campaign in collaboration with celebrities to condemn coronavirus-spreading courtship. As part of that campaign, the company, which was founded in 2003 and lists over 80,000 hosts and approximately 62 million members, offered to give away up to $50M in credits for people to use on its site.
