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Tennis Australia is making use of generative AI to get around Australian Open 2025 broadcasting rights.
The governing body of tennis in Australia has been streaming matches with a two-minute delay but using animated avatars and courts instead of a live feed.
The reason? Tennis Australia does not have full broadcast rights for all Australian Open matches. The use of animated players and environments allows them to get around the restrictions.
The Australian Open doesn’t have full
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) January 16, 2025
broadcast rights for all matches.
So, its YouTube livestream uses AI to generate Nintendo Wii Tennis cartoon avatars that mimics the action on a 2-minute delay.
As a result, this animated clip of Daniel Medvedev smashing his tennis racket… pic.twitter.com/VGVlteA4Rx
The AI project, called AO Animated, uses sensors on the courts in Melbourne Park to track movement data of the real players, which is then used to craft digital versions of the players and the courts.
The matches run at a two-minute delay and feature umpire calls, crowd noise, and live commentary.
AO Animated first launched last year but was much less realistic than this year, and it seems to be drawing in crowds.
According to The Guardian, viewership of these animated matches is four times as high as last year. Additionally, the first-round match between Daniil Medvedev and Kasidit Samrej, which saw Medvedev smashing his racket on the net, has reached 130,000 views and counting.
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