The Australian Open is animating its players on YouTube

Why the Australian Open is animating its players on YouTube
Tennis Australia has transformed the world's best players into animated versions of themselves to bypass broadcast restrictions at the Australian Open.
Australian Open goes Wii Sports mode for YouTube broadcast
Even in this world, the whole concept is a blast—fingers (and fully rendered clothes, unfortunately) be damned. You can see it for yourself on the Australian Open’s YouTube channel, with matches running through January 26.
Why is the Australian Open 2025 streamed on YouTube with video game-styled players on court?
In a unique workaround to address geographical streaming constraints and copyrights issues, the Australian Open 2025 organizers have modified players to animation, enabling viewers to free access to all games albeit at a cost.
Australian Open resorts to animated caricatures to get around broadcast restrictions
The Australian Open has implemented a cheeky workaround for international viewers that dodges its own broadcast obligations.
Why is the Australian Open using cartoon players?
The tennis balls are unusually large, players' heads are out of proportion and the racquets they are holding sometimes seem to drift away from their hands. This cartoon is the Australian Open's free-to-watch version of the live action taking place at Melbourne Park.
Australian Open: Animated YouTube broadcast takes fans by storm
Tennis fans are hailing this year’s Australian Open broadcast, just not on the television. The season-opening tournament introduced its new Sunday start for the first time in 2025, and fans inside Melbourne Park have already been treated to a series of blockbusters across the first round.
Why the Australian Open is streaming live tennis with gaming-style player avatars
The Australian Open is getting in on the newest trend in the sports world by re-creating tennis matches in video-game form
Is Novak Djokovic Playing Today at the 2025 Australian Open?
Record-holder of ten Australian Open titles, Novak Djokovic aims for another triumph in the Land Down Under as the year's first Grand Slam gets underway.
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Why Australian Open live streams look like Wii tennis — and what it means for sports
The Australian Open's animated tennis livestreams are making a splash. U.S. leagues have used similar technology to put ...
AI is helping the Australian Open cover tennis in the funniest way possible, by turning it into Nintendo Wii Tennis
The Australian Open now shows an AI-generated version of tennis matches on YouTube and some of the results are hilarious.
Australian Open’s experiment with animation an instant hit
The official YouTube channel of the Australian Open has players going about their business in cartooned versions ...
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Blondes have more fun? Not according to Aryna Sabalenka at Australian Open
The world No. 1 joked that she "need[s] to know who designed my character" upon learning that her AO Animated counterpart looks different in one big way.
“LMAO, it makes it 100 times funnier”: Australian Open’s unique YouTube streaming stuns fans with animated avatars
The Australian Open has introduced animated avatars to stream matches on YouTube, due to broadcast licensing restrictions.
Australian Open 2025: How to watch today's matches, full tournament schedule, where to stream free and more
The 2025 Australian Open runs from Sunday, Jan. 12 to Sunday, Jan. 26. However, due to the time difference in The Land Down ...