Australian Open Streams Animated Matches to Navigate Broadcast Restrictions

The tournament uses real-time motion-capture avatars on YouTube to bypass exclusive broadcasting rights while engaging younger audiences.

The Australian Open introduced animated livestreams on YouTube, featuring cartoonish avatars of players to circumvent broadcast licensing conflicts.
The technology uses motion-capture data from 12 cameras to replicate players’ movements and match dynamics with a two-minute delay.
The animated streams include authentic commentary, crowd noise, and player quirks, creating a video game-like experience for viewers.
This innovation has significantly increased viewership, with over 950,000 streams in the first four days of this year’s tournament, compared to 140,000 last year.
Tennis Australia aims to attract younger, gaming-oriented audiences with this approach, though it acknowledges it is not a replacement for live-action broadcasts.