Australian Open Animating Matches on YouTube in Broadcast Loophole

The Australian Open has found a loophole to broadcast matches on YouTube: animate its participants. 

The first Grand Slam event of the season, which runs through Jan. 26, has been streaming matches through its YouTube account this week with players displayed as cartoon avatars that are eerily similar to those from Nintendo Wii sports. Rackets, balls, and the court are also on display as animations. 

ESPN holds the U.S. broadcast rights to tennis’s first major of the season, but the video game–esque workaround allows the tournament to increase its audience without breaching its broadcast rights to various networks.

The project, called AO Animated, was originally introduced for the 2024 Open, but wasn’t as life-like as this year’s. The 2024 matches also weren’t as popular. Through the first four days of this year’s tournament, the matches have generated more than 950,000 views, according to Tennis Australia, compared to 140,000 in 2024 for the same stretch.

The system works by having on-court sensors at Melbourne Park, feeding data into a program that produces digital reproductions of the live match, albeit with a two-minute delay. The animated matches are able to be synced to feature live commentary, the crowd, chair umpire calls, and at times, player movements and reactions. 

The players’ animated selves aren’t perfect replicas, but the graphics show similar portrayals of the athletes’ clothing, headwear, and appearance. Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz told the Associated Press the broadcast is “a good alternative.” 

Leylah Fernandez said the animated matches have caught her attention, but they have given her mixed feelings. 

“Sometimes I think it’s a very accurate [depiction] of the actual player that’s playing,” she told the AP. “So it’s weird. It’s funny and weird. I did not see myself just yet. Maybe I will. Now I’m curious, because I’ve seen different players … and I think I want to watch myself, too.”

A similar approach has caught on in the States as the NFL, NBA, and MLB have all aired alternate broadcasts, incorporating animated television shows such as The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. 

Tennis Australia’s director of innovation, Machar Reid, told the AP that the tournament is always trying to adapt and find new ways to reach viewers, which they’re already seeing early returns on. 

“It’s part of our DNA to innovate and try to challenge the status quo or, in this instance, provide experiences to different groups of fans that are more personalized for them to consume,” Reid said. “We’re seeing younger kids or the gaming demographic gravitating to the sport maybe in this way. Clearly, it’s not for everyone.”