Tennis: “I love it”, “I burst out laughing”… When the Australian Open replaces players with avatars to attract a younger audience

Although this innovation dates from 2023, many Internet users only noticed it this year. However, it is far from trivial. Since last year, Internet users have been able to follow the matches of the biggest stars of the Australian Open for free and in full on the official YouTube channel of the tournament

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There is, however, a small difference. The players look like cartoon or video game avatars. Thus, this Monday, January 13, it was possible to follow live the victory of Novak Djokovic in the first round against Nishesh Basavareddy (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2) or the elimination of Caroline Garcia against Naomi Osaka (6-3, 3-6, 6-3).

A profitable strategy

On social networks, this original content sparked numerous reactions. ” Here's how you can follow the Australian Open matches for free on the official tournament channel. It's 100% true, I burst out laughing,” one user laughed, while another simply wrote: “I love it”.

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The Melbourne tournament is not a pioneer in this area. In the United States, the NBA and NFL have already tried this method of broadcasting. The Australian Open has not communicated on this subject, but as explained by 20 Minutes, this could be part of the organization's desire to strengthen its presence on social networks and attract a wider audience. young. A strategy that could pay off since in one year, the Australian Grand Slam YouTube channel has gained more than a million subscribers to reach 2.6 million today.