Opinion The Third Edit: Australian Open’s animated streaming is democratising access

Imagine watching a high-stakes tennis match where the players cease to be human — not because adrenaline is pushing them to super-human feats — but because they are actually digital avatars, zipping across the court like they have had one too many cups of coffee. The Australian Open’s latest experiment has given match broadcasts a twist — free, and streaming straight to YouTube, but overlaid with animation and playing after a lag of two minutes to avoid breach of broadcast contracts. The result has been an almost-authentic match experience: The New York Times reports, “Viewership has increased from 2,46,542 in the first six days of last year’s event to 17,96,338 in the same timeframe this year.” In a world of tightly-controlled and highly competitive television and streaming rights, the democratisation of access has been a game-changer.

The integration of animation, live data, and creative storytelling is a glimpse into the future of sports media, where accessibility, fan engagement and AI are likely to play a big role. Sports leagues such as NFL, have already begun dabbling with the format. At the Australian Open, the broadcasts, conceived like video games, cover the three main courts, using data from the Hawk-Eye system (a technology that relies on high-speed cameras to track movement) before turning it into an animated transmission.

Advertisement

The Australian Open had begun the experiment in 2023, slowly scaling it up to its giddy popularity this year. But what’s a blockbuster without some snags? In his first-round match, Carlos Alcaraz pumps his fists in the air after hitting a winner. The next moment, he disappears from court, his racquet and tennis ball doing a ghostly jig by themselves. Free, live (almost) and funny — even the glitches seem to enhance the game.