Tennis fans around the world can watch the Australian Open online, but there's a catch: The players on the screen aren't real people, but computer-generated video game-like avatars on the court.

The tournament, which ends on January 26, has its broadcast rights sold to media companies around the world, limiting its ability to cover it live. Instead, it used animation to livestream the action on its YouTube channel. Organizers hope the creative solution will bring a wider audience to the year's first Grand Slam tournament and win new fans.

Tennis Australia chief content officer Darren Pearce said: “By combining skeletal tracking data with animated characters, this mixed reality experience aims to engage a new generation of tennis fans and make the sport more accessible , more attractive, especially for children and families,” a statement said.

Michael McCann, director of the Institute for Sports and Entertainment Law at the University of New Hampshire, told NPR that while animated characters certainly help attract younger fans, they are "at least in part a way to provide coverage for the event." . No broadcast rights. "

He added that the fact that broadcast rights are separate could explain why completed games and highlights show players in human form.

During live gameplay, however, the players and the general outlines and colors of their clothing are animated in a Nintendo Wii style, as are the court, rackets, balls, umpires, players, and spectators. The sounds, commentary, and movements are all real, just with a delay of about two minutes.

One thing players don’t have? finger. Tennis Australia Director of Innovation Machar Reid said The Guardian The system, which involves 12 cameras and 29 tracking points in the skeleton, "isn't as seamless as it should be...but over time you can start to imagine a world that comes with it."

According to the Associated Press, "Animation Live" quietly debuted during last year's Australian Open. This year, it expanded to more games — and seems to be making an even bigger impression.

Tennis Australia said live broadcasts were viewed 950,000 times in the first four days of the tournament, compared with about 140,000 during the same period last year, the Associated Press reported. NPR has reached out to Tennis Australia for more information.

On social media, the cartoonish players' Tweets and TikToks and moments - including Russia's Daniil Medvedev smashing a webcam with his racket - have racked up tens of thousands of likes.

Players in real life also expressed their approval.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain called it "interesting" and "a good option for people who want to watch tennis but can't." Leylah Fernandez from Canada said she stumbled upon the animation and called it "hilarious".

McCann, the law professor, said it remains to be seen whether animation will play a larger role in live sports broadcasts in the future.

"It's obviously really different than watching a tennis match with a human being," he said, noting the lack of facial expressions and other human qualities. "This seems to spark curiosity, but is this sustainable?"

The Australian Open is not the only sports entity - nor the first - to try to address this issue.

Looney Tunes on Ice, The Simpsons Enter

American organizations including the National Hockey League and National Football League have been experimenting with animated broadcasts for years, albeit in slightly different formats.

Since 2023, the league has worked with rights holders to incorporate characters, scenes and animation styles from the popular cartoon series into specially themed games.

“The usual use of this is not to get around broadcast restrictions, but to bring intellectual property to broadcast and hopefully attract a wider audience,” McCann explains.

"It's a way of making a product that might be more appropriate for young adults, young adults, and parents who might not watch NHL games, but if there are characters in the game that their kids are interested in, they will watch it with their kids."

For example, the NFL, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon teamed up to bring Spongebob Squarepants and tons of slimes to the "kid-focused" 2024 Super Bowl telecast . ESPN and Disney team up to present “Football Fun” toy story Animated Game of 2023, There’s Another One The Simpsons in December, featuring the standard yellow characters on the pitch and sidelines, pre-recorded segments and the show's theme song and jingle.

The NHL has completed several such projects since February 2023, when it partnered with ESPN and Disney on NHL Big city green space CLASSIC - A live animated telecast of the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers matchup, with players impersonating characters from the animated comedy adventure series, reenacted the following year.

It also launched the MultiVersus NHL Face-Off, a partnership with TNT Sports and Warner Bros. Games that brings beloved characters from the NHL. Multiplayer battle video games — including Bugs Bunny, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Steven Universe — and an animated showdown between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, hosted by the Tasmanian Devil.

"The whole premise of what we did the first two seasons was to create an experience that transcended the avid (or even semi-obsessed) NHL fan base to try to attract a younger, more family-oriented audience." David Lehanski, NHL executive vice president of business development and innovation said.

It works, he said.

Lehanski told NPR that while regular radio programming typically attracts about 60 percent male and 40 percent female viewers, animated broadcasts "basically flip that around." He said they also "lowered the average viewing time by about 25 years" and the proportion of viewers over the age of 35 was well below typical proportions. It also hasn’t reduced traffic from regular live broadcasts, Lehanski said.

"What we're seeing is side-by-side viewing happening," he said. "That's what happens in my house. We watch the traditional live game on ESPN and then the animated version on the iPad. Part of the appeal of the experience is actually seeing two people side by side - oh my god, like, This is a real hockey game."

Are animated sports the future?

Depending on audience interest, technical capabilities and licensing availability, animation may become a more common feature at certain sporting events.

Lehanski said the NHL has received "overwhelmingly positive" audience feedback and is currently testing it in hopes of offering animated broadcasts more regularly.

"We are scratching the surface of this problem," he said. "I mean, there's more to come."

This could include animated versions of social media highlights and condensed games aired on weekend mornings, "kind of like a new version of Saturday morning kids' cartoons," he said. The technology could be used to turn players into avatars of themselves or something completely different. animated characters that insert "crazy scenery" behind them or "make the puck look like a cookie."

"Long term, I think fans will gain the ability to create their own experiences," Lehanski added. “But until then, we’ll rely on our world-class producers to create experiences customized for our audiences.”

He said the technology involved in animation, including light emitters inside the puck and on the backs of players' jerseys, has improved since the NHL began using animation to more accurately render a player's movements and strides.

It's these technological developments that are opening up more possibilities - as Reed hinted, perhaps one day the incarnation of tennis could hold the racquet with its fingers.

Reed told The Associated Press that he doesn't think animation will become the dominant way to watch sports, at least not in his lifetime.

"But who knows?" he said. “The world of sports and entertainment is moving so fast.”