If you have stumbled upon the live streaming of Australian Open matches on YouTube, you may have noticed that the players might not look their exact selves. The players appear straight out of a video game akin to Wii Tennis which has left the viewers amused. The bodies and faces of the players, participating in the first Grand Slam of the year have been morphed, giving the entire stream a rather comical look and feel.
Throughout the Australian Open, the Australian Open TV YouTube account broadcasts several games. However, due to not having the broadcast rights, the players appear as cartoon versions of themselves, similar to those that appeared on the iconic Wii video game.
"The Australian Open don't own all of their broadcasting rights (fairly common), so they're live-streaming a Wii Tennis-like version of the matches on YouTube - love this," one user pointed out on X (formerly Twitter).
Not only is the face of the player morphed, but the broadcast also mimics the same points played out while copying the players' mannerisms. So if Novak Djokovic is wiping the sweat off his face or Carlos Alcaraz is going through his drills before a point, their avatar will perform the same movements. The television commentary is also played over the animation, as is the live crowd reaction and chair umpire calls.
However, the use of AI technology for the broadcast is far from perfect. The complexion of some players has been changed while some fully-haired athletes were rendered bald by the graphics. In one instance, Nick Kyrigos' racket could also be seen missing.
Despite the shortcomings, the animated version provides a loophole around the rights issue, while also having the added bonus of appealing to a younger audience. The technology debuted last year and peaked during the men's final, the recording of which has attracted almost 800,000 views on YouTube.
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Internet reacts
As the video of the stream went viral, social media users had an amusing reaction with
"This looks bizarre at first but it's actually well executed and nice for fans that can't afford/access matches," said one user while another added: "Why do I love this so much."
A third commented: "There is a copyright lawyer somewhere busy making notes on the basis of this."
This is not the first time that cartoon/video game avatars have made an appearance during marquee sporting tournaments. Last year, the beloved children's character Dora the Explorer was the NFL's honourary "rules expert" for Nickelodeon's Super Bowl broadcast. using reality-augmented animation, Dora was brought to life during the live broadcast and explained the nitty-gritty of the game.
