Why The Australian Open Looks Different For Some This Year: Broadcast Rights

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the imitating-life dept

It’s no secret that the world of live sports is becoming increasingly complicated due to the fractured nature of broadcast and streaming rights. Between leagues like the NFL making sure their own streaming services aren’t terribly useful and that finding any particular game requires Sherlock-ian investigative efforts, these new and complicated deals that major sports leagues and partners are entering into can deeply annoy their own fanbases. And, sometimes, even the organizers of a particular event have to get creative just to get fans some version of a live event in some form.

Take the Australian Open, for instance. We’re smack in the middle of this particular tennis tournament. The problem is that the Australia Open doesn’t even control all of the broadcasting deals for the event. It has some, but other international rights were bought by broadcasters in those countries. So, while the Australian Open does have a YouTube page, it can’t simply put live footage of the matches on there.

But it can stream the matches live using video-game-like avatars, apparently.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz got his campaign underway against Alexander Shevchenko in Melbourne on Monday and fans were treated to an alternative view of proceedings. 

The two players took a much larger and rounded shape than normal as they were depicted as cartoons similar to that which is seen on the hit Wii Tennis games.  Better still, their on-court actions were mimicked by the animated figures, providing an extraordinary experience for tennis fans. 

According to author and tennis reporter Bastien Fachan, the addition is down to a broadcasting rights issue. 

There are some glitches, of course, but they’re mostly of the charming variety. Overall, the whole avatar-based live stream reportedly works quite well. Sure, the players look cartoonish, but the action is done in nearly real time, with the players quite distinguishable, and the animated action being fairly satisfying. No, it isn’t the same as watching the live IRL match… but it’s pretty damned close.

Which points out the absurdity of all of this. If this isn’t a broadcast rights violation, and I don’t think it is, then just how good would the graphics have to be before it was? If instead of cartoons, the animation was something approximating the latest NBA2K game, would that still be okay? Legally, it should be, but what would the broadcast partners think?

As per usual, it’s the technology that is highlighting the silliness here. But it’s also one that might actually be working to bring in new audiences. After all, we’ve seen other leagues and events do versions of this when it has nothing to do with broadcast rights.

As well providing a clever solution to their rights issue, the overlay has the effect of attracting a new, younger audience to the sport. 

A similar tactic has been used in the NFL in recent years, with a Nickelodeon broadcast fit with slime and the television network’s signature orange blimp drawing in ton of children to the game. 

In December, the NBA took the plunge into this brave new world as various iconic Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy appeared as part of a Christmas Day broadcast. 

And what the NFL and NBA have done with this sort of thing was quite fun, actually. And it provided a great way for children to get into the game, learn about the sport, and potentially become lifelong fans. That’s all great.

It’s just a shame that in this case, it all was born out of stupid broadcast rights.

Filed Under: australia, australian open, avatars, broadcast rights, tennis