Australian Open Streams Tennis Matches with Video Game-Style Avatars

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Open is revolutionizing sports broadcasting by streaming live tennis matches with video game-style avatars, blending real-world data with animated graphics. The tournament, running through Jan. 26, 2025, is offering real-time animated feeds on YouTube that replicate the action in the three main stadiums at Melbourne Park.

Players are represented by cartoonish characters, complete with accurate outfit colors and accessories, while the ball’s trajectory and player movements are tracked with a one-point delay. The initiative, dubbed AO Animated, aims to attract younger audiences and gamers to the sport.

“Sometimes I think it’s a very accurate depiction of the actual player that’s playing. So it’s weird. It’s funny and weird,” said Leylah Fernandez, a Canadian tennis star who expressed curiosity about seeing her own avatar. Tennis Australia created custom “skins” for players, umpires, and ball persons, using data from 12 cameras to track movements in real time.

Machar Reid, Tennis Australia’s director of innovation, explained the technology’s appeal: “We’re taking the real into the unreal. That’s part of the magic.” The animated streams, which debuted in 2024, have seen a surge in popularity this year, with over 950,000 views in the first four days compared to 140,000 during the same period last year.

Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 2, called the animated streams “a good alternative,” while Fernandez shared a humorous anecdote about mistaking an animated match for real footage while scouting opponents. Jiri Lehecka, a Czech player, also expressed amusement after seeing Daniil Medvedev’s avatar smash a net camera during a match.

The technology, developed by Tennis Australia engineer Mark Riedy, uses court sensors and a 29-point skeletal tracking system to create the animations. While the graphics lack fine details like fingers, Reid believes the technology will continue to evolve. “In time, you can begin to imagine a world where that comes,” he said.

The animated streams are part of Tennis Australia’s broader push into technology, including investments in media and health startups through its A$30 million venture capital fund, AO Ventures. The organization hopes broadcasters will eventually adopt the technology alongside traditional live coverage.

Reid emphasized the project’s goal of reaching new audiences: “It’s that community that engages with animated or virtual or gaming products, that’s our intuition, right? There’s an immediate kind of blending of those two worlds.”

While the animated streams are unlikely to replace traditional broadcasts anytime soon, Reid acknowledged the rapid evolution of sports entertainment. “The world of sport and entertainment is moving so, so quickly,” he said. “But I think we’re always going to be drawn to the amazing athletes doing their thing in front of our very eyes.”