Professional tennis has long been at the forefront of innovation in sport, but things have been fired into a different stratosphere during the 2025 Australian Open.
Fans watching the tournament via the official Australian Open TV YouTube channel got to enjoy a different coverage than they might be used to. The channel’s 'AO Animated' coverage resembles a Wii Sports tennis match, with players represented by their virtual avatars.
In 2024, tennis was responsible for two of the Top 10 most streamed sports events. One of them was the Australian Open. In 2024, Jannik Sinner won his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, while Aryna Sabalenka won her second consecutive trophy in Australia.
The 2024 Wimbledon Championships was also among the Top 10 most streamed sports events last year. At the event, Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in the rematch of their 2023 final. On the other hand, Barbora Krejcikova surprisingly won the women's tournament.
Although many fans enjoy watching the sport as they are used to it, the Australian Open's 'AO Animated' streaming could lead to a change in sports broadcasting.
The animated matches were watched by millions of viewers. For example, the quarter-final clash between Alcaraz and Djokovic was viewed by nearly 500,000 people.
Watching the animated broadcast, obviously, can't yet be compared to watching the live broadcast. However, this move certainly troubled the official broadcast partners.
Nine, beIN Media Group, and ESPN were among those who have paid millions of dollars to secure the rights to the Australian Open.
However, even though these broadcasters showed the matches to millions of viewers, the vast majority of their audience is between 25 and 54 years old. Like in many other sports, tennis broadcasters struggle to attract younger fans.
On the other hand, research has shown that younger fans are increasingly using YouTube as their primary outlet to follow major sports events. The platform had nearly 21 million active users in Australia in 2024, many of whom fit into the demographic tennis bosses are desperate to reach.
The director of innovation at Tennis Australia, Machar Reid, believes animated coverage could transform the sports media landscape, particularly if traditional broadcasters keep an open mind.
"We always try and innovate the fan experience, be that on site or at home. Here’s a way through the world of broadcast that we can try and personalize the content in different ways and present a different offering that ultimately we’d love to see the broadcasters pick up in time."
The Australian Open is not the first event to explore the seemingly endless possibilities in animated live-streamed sports matches, either. The National Hockey League and the National Football League have recently dipped their toes into the water, and both received positive feedback from the younger demographic.
Their willingness to innovate has its roots in a desire to ensure that sport does not become an afterthought in an era where there are so many other entertainment options to choose from.
Sports that embrace digital-first strategies are the ones that will give themselves a much better chance of building meaningful connections with younger people.
Intriguingly, between quarter three in 2016 and the same period last year, the proportion of 18 to 24-year-olds who claimed to enjoy watching sports increased by 23 percent.
However, they increasingly want experiences that enhance their enjoyment of watching events rather than traditional sports broadcasting coverage.
The Australian Open’s animated coverage could be the first step along the road to engaging more effectively with a demographic who may ordinarily have steered clear of watching tennis.
