Australian Open Is Streaming Matches With Wii Characters To Combat Restrictions

PublishedJanuary 14, 2025 8:09 AM EST|UpdatedJanuary 14, 2025 8:09 AM EST

The Australian Open does not own all of its broadcasting rights. Therefore, it can’t broadcast every tournament match, at least not in the traditional sense. The tournament has thought way outside the box to combat this and still give fans a way to watch the match.

Several matches during the first couple of days of the Grand Slam have been streamed on YouTube. The players appear not as themselves but as Wii characters, technically called Mii characters, with movements matching those of the players on the court.

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Anyone who has ever spent any time playing Wii Tennis, and maybe thrown a controller through a television in the process, undoubtedly recognizes the characters and the movements from the alternate stream.

Carlos Alcaraz took down Alexander Shevchenko in Melbourne on Monday to begin his inevitable run in the tournament, and viewers had to watch him do so as a Wii character.

The Aussie Open tested out similar tech during last year’s tournament, but this year’s animations and Wii characters are an upgrade.

The Australian Open certainly isn’t the first major sporting event to use alternate, animated broadcasts. The NFL has had Nickelodeon-themed streams and recently had a Simpsons-themed alternate broadcast. The NBA has dipped its toes into the animated game as well, with a Disney character broadcast on Christmas Day.

While it wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say these alternate broadcasts are the future of sports broadcasting given that watching the actual players is far better, these themed-streams and broadcasts certainly check the futuristic broadcast box and may drive younger fans to tune in more frequently.