Australian Open animation stream makes tennis look like Wii: NPR

Tennis fans around the world can stream Australian Open matches online. However, the players on the screen are not real people, but computer-generated video game-like avatars on the court.

The tournament, which runs until Jan. 26, sold broadcast rights to media companies around the world and limited the ability to broadcast live coverage. Instead, they use animation to stream the action live on their YouTube channel. Organizers hope the creative workaround will draw even more viewers to the year’s first Grand Slam tournament and win new fans.

“By integrating skeletal tracking data and animated characters, this mixed reality experience is designed to engage a new generation of tennis fans, making the sport more accessible and appealing, especially for children and families. “Tennis Australia Chief Content Officer Darren Pearce said. statement.

Michael McCann, director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire, told NPR that while animated characters may certainly help bring in younger fans, they are “at least partially used to provide coverage of events to the world.” It’s a way to do that.” No broadcasting rights. ”

The fact that rebroadcast rights are separate would explain why players are shown in human form in final games and highlight reels, he added.

However, during live gameplay, the players, and the general contours and colors of their attire, are animated in a Nintendo Wii-esque style, as are the courts, rackets, balls, referees, ball people, and spectators. The sounds, commentary, and action are authentic, with a delay of approximately 2 minutes.

What do the players not have? finger. Tennis Australia’s director of innovation Machar Reid told the Guardian that the system, which has 12 cameras and 29 tracking points in its bones, “isn’t very seamless… but over time, We will be able to imagine a world like this.” It’s coming. ”

The Animated Feed quietly debuted during last year’s Australian Open, according to the Associated Press. This year it has been expanded to include even more games and seems to have left an even bigger impression.

Tennis Australia said its stream for the first four days of the tournament had 950,000 views, compared to about 140,000 views during the same period last year, the Associated Press reported. That’s what it means. NPR has contacted Tennis Australia for more information.

On social media, cartoon-like tweets from players, TikToks, and standout moments such as Russian player Daniil Medvedev smashing an internet camera with a racket have racked up tens of thousands of likes.

Real-life players have also expressed their support.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said it was “interesting” and “a good option for people who want to watch tennis but can’t watch it.” Leila Fernandes from Canada said she discovered the animation by chance and called it “interesting.”

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

“It’s definitely different than watching a tennis match with humans,” he said, noting the lack of facial expressions and other human qualities. This may pique your curiosity, but is this sustainable?

The Australian Open is not the only, or even the first, sporting organization to try to figure that out.

Looney Tunes on the ice, Simpsons on the field

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

Each league is partnering with rights holders to incorporate characters, settings and animation styles from popular comic book series into specially themed games starting in 2023.

“The normal use of this practice is not to circumvent broadcast restrictions, but instead to import intellectual property into broadcasts in the hope of attracting a wider audience base,” McCann explained. .

“This is a product aimed at young adults, young people, and even parents who may not watch an NHL game but will watch it with them if it features characters their kids are interested in. Here’s how to make it.” ”

For example, the NFL, CBS Sports, and Nickelodeon teamed up to bring SpongeBob SquarePants and lots of slime to the 2024 Super Bowl’s “kid-centric” telecast. ESPN and Disney announce ‘Funday Football’ animated game with Toy Story in 2023 and The Simpsons in December, featuring standard yellow characters on the field and sidelines, pre-taped segment, featuring the show’s theme song and jingle.

In February 2023, the NHL will partner with ESPN and Disney to launch the NHL Big City Greens Classic, which will broadcast live coverage of the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers showdown and feature players modeled after the characters. It goes back to the fact that we have carried out several such projects. The animated comedy adventure series was revived the following year.

Also featured is Multiversus NHL Faceoff, a partnership between TNT Sports and Warner Bros. Games, in which popular characters from Multiversus video games, including Bugs Bunny, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Steven Universe, face off in NHL-to-NHL matches. Participated in an animation battle. Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights hosted by the Tasmanian Devils.

“The whole premise of what we did in the first two seasons was to create an experience that reached beyond the hardcore or semi-devoted NHL fan base and try to bring in a younger, more family-oriented audience. ” said David Lehansky, NHL Executive Vice President of Business Development and Innovation.

And it worked, he says.

Lehansky said in an interview with NPR that while the average broadcast typically draws viewers that are about 60% male and 40% female, the animated broadcast “basically reversed that.” . It also said the proportion of viewers over 35 was much smaller than typical, “pushing the average down by about 25 years.” Lehansky said this also didn’t take away from normal live broadcast traffic.

“What we saw was side-by-side viewing going on,” he said. “And that’s what happened in my house. We were watching a traditional live game on ESPN, and I was watching the animated version on my iPad. And part of the appeal of this experience was that To actually see the two side by side – holy cow, this is like a real hockey game.”

Are animated sports the future?

Depending on audience interest, technical capabilities, and availability of licenses, animation may become more regularly used at certain sporting events.

Lehansky said the NHL has received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from viewers and is currently testing the possibility of offering animated broadcasts on a more regular basis.

“We’re just scratching the surface with this,” he said. “So there’s a lot more to come.”

This could include animated versions of highlight reels for social media or condensed games that air on weekend mornings, “like a new version of Saturday morning cartoons for kids.” “It’s something,” he says. The technology can be used to transform players into their own avatars or completely different animated characters, insert “crazy scenery” behind players, or “make a hockey puck look like a cookie.” Can be done.

“I think even longer term, it gives fans the ability to create their own experiences,” Lehansky added. “But until then, we will rely on our world-class producers to create a customized experience for our viewers.”

He said the technology involved in the animation of luminous objects inside pucks and on the backs of players’ jerseys has improved since the NHL began using it, allowing it to more accurately represent player movements and strides. That’s what it means.

As Reid alluded to, it’s these advances in technology that open up even more possibilities — who knows, maybe one day giving tennis avatars fingers to hold a racket.

Reid told The Associated Press that he doesn’t think animation will become the primary way people watch sports, at least not in his lifetime.

“But who knows?” he said. “The world of sports and entertainment is changing very rapidly.”