Tennis Australia has turned to animation to illustrate its YouTube feed of this year’s Australian Open.
Instead of the live coverage of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff seen by viewers to Eurosport, players are replaced animated avatars more familiar to a Nintendo Wii. Rackets, balls, umpires and the court itself are also displayed in animated form.
It’s the second year that Tennis Australia has used AI technology and audiences are growing. The first-round match between Daniil Medvedev and Kasidit Samrej, during which Medvedev smashed his racket against the net, has more than 109,000 views.
The use of the technology, dubbed AO Animated, circumnavigates broadcasting rights that have been sold worldwide to broadcasters including Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney ESPN.
