Australian Open uses Wii-like animations to bypass broadcast restrictions

Tennis Australia has ingeniously transformed the world's best tennis players into animated versions of themselves in an effort to bypass broadcasting restrictions at this year's Australian Open. The project, labeled AO Animated, works by having sensors on the actual courts at Melbourne Park feeding data into a system that then produces digital reproductions of the live match, with only a two-minute delay. These versions of the matches are even synced to feature live commentary, crowd noise and chair umpire calls, as well as subtle -- and not so subtle -- player quirks and reactions. The technology is not dissimilar to what was used when Disney+ broadcast this season's NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals as "The Simpsons" on "Monday Night Football."