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Why Australian Open live streams look like Wii tennis — and what it means for sports

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Why Australian Open live streams look like Wii tennis — and what it means for sports

That could include animated versions of highlight reels for social media and condensed games to air on weekend mornings, he says, “sort of the new version of Saturday morning cartoons for kids.” The technology could be used to turn players into avatars of themselves or entirely different animated characters, insert “crazy landscapes” behind them or “make the hockey puck look like a cookie.”
Reid told the AP he doesn’t think animation will become the primary way to watch sports, at least not in his lifetime.
The leagues have partnered with rights holders to incorporate characters, settings and animation styles from popular cartoon franchises into specially themed games since 2023.
“What we’ve seen is that side-by-side viewing was occurring,” he said. “And that’s what happened in my house. We had the traditional live game on ESPN, and on an iPad we were watching the animated version. And part of the allure of the experience is actually seeing the two side-by-side — holy cow, it’s like, this is a real hockey game.”
“Even longer term, I think what you’re going to get is some ability for fans to create their own experience,” Lehanski added. “But until then, we’re going to rely on world-class producers to create experiences that are customized for audiences.”
The NFL, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon teamed up to bring SpongeBob and plenty of slime to a “kids-centric” telecast of the 2024 Super Bowl, for example. ESPN and Disney presented a “Funday Football” Toy Story animated game in 2023, and another with The Simpsons in December, featuring the canonical yellow characters on the field and sidelines, pre-recorded segments and the show’s theme song and jingles.
The fact that rebroadcasting rights are separate would explain why concluded matches and highlight reels show the players in their human form, he added.
Lehanski says the NHL has gotten “overwhelmingly positive” audience feedback and is currently in the process of testing in the hopes of offering animated broadcasts on a more regular basis.
The Australian Open isn’t the only — or first — sports entity trying to figure that out.
“By integrating skeletal tracking data with animated characters, this mixed-reality experience is designed to captivate a new generation of tennis fans, making the sport more accessible and engaging, particularly for kids and families,” Tennis Australia Chief Content Officer Darren Pearce said in a statement.
The real-life players have also signaled their approval.
Lehanski told NPR in an interview that while average broadcasts typically draw an audience that’s about 60% male and 40% female, the animated broadcasts “basically flipped that.” He said they also “lowered the average by like 25 years,” with a much smaller than typical percentage of viewers above the age of 35. Lehanski said it didn’t take traffic away from the regular live broadcast, either.
“It’s obviously really different from watching a tennis match with humans,” he said, pointing to the lack of facial expressions and other human qualities. “It seems like it sparks curiosity, but is this sustainable?”
It’s those technological developments that open up even more possibilities — like maybe, one day, giving tennis avatars fingers with which to hold their racquets, as Reid hinted.
It also presented the MultiVersus NHL Face-Off, a partnership with TNT Sports and Warner Bros. Games that brought beloved characters from the MultiVersus video game — including Bugs Bunny, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Steven Universe — to an animated matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, officiated by the Tasmanian Devil.

Looney Tunes on ice, the Simpsons take the field  

The NHL has done several such projects dating back to February 2023, when it collaborated with ESPN and Disney for the NHL Big City Greens Classic — a live, animated telecast of a Washington Capitals-New York Rangers faceoff, with players modeled after characters from the animated comedy adventure series, which it reprised the following year.
Tennis Australia says the streams during the first four days of the tournament got 950,000 views, compared to roughly 140,000 in the same window last year, the AP reports. NPR has reached out to Tennis Australia for more information.
The “animated feeds” quietly debuted during last year’s Australian Open, according to the Associated Press. This year, it expanded to more matches — and seems to have made a much bigger impression.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner, called it “amusing” and “a good option for people who want to watch tennis and can’t.” Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who said she stumbled upon the animation by accident, called it “hilarious.”
 Animation could become a more regular feature in certain sporting events, depending on audience interest, technological capability and licensing availability.
“The usual use of this practice is not to get around a broadcasting restriction, but instead to import intellectual property into a broadcast and hope to attract a broader base of viewers,” McCann explained.

Tennis fans worldwide can stream Australian Open matches online, with a catch: The players on screen aren’t real human beings, but video game-like avatars on a computer-generated court.
“We’re scratching the surface with this,” he said. “I mean, there’s so much more that’s going to come.”
The tournament — which runs through Jan. 26 — sold its broadcast rights to media companies around the world, limiting its live coverage capabilities. Instead, it is using animation to transmit the action live on its YouTube channel. Organizers hope the creative workaround will bring the first Grand Slam of the year even more viewers, and win over new fans.
One thing the players don’t have? Fingers. Machar Reid, director of innovation at Tennis Australia, told The Guardian that the system — which involves 12 cameras and 29 tracking points in the skeleton — is “not as seamless as it could be … but in time you can begin to imagine a world where that comes.”
On social media, tweets and TikToks of the cartoon-like players and standout moments — including Russia’s Daniil Medvedev smashing a net camera with his racquet — have garnered tens of thousands of likes.

Are animated sports the future?

A screenshot of a livestreamed Australian Open match between Madison Keys and Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Thursday. The Open's use of animation is making a splash online.
A screenshot of a livestreamed Australian Open match between Madison Keys and Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Thursday. The Open’s use of animation is making a splash online. (Australian Open TV/Screenshot by NPR)

And, he says, it worked.
During live gameplay, however, the players — and the general contours and colors of their outfits — are animated in a Nintendo Wii-esque style, as are the court, racquets, balls, umpires, ball people and spectators. The sounds, commentary and action are real, just on a roughly two-minute delay.
“The whole premise for what we did the first two seasons was to create an experience that reached beyond the avid, if not even sort of semi-avid, NHL fan base to try to pull in a younger, more family-oriented audience,” said David Lehanski, the NHL’s executive vice president of business development and innovation.
Michael McCann, the director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire, told NPR that while animated characters could certainly help bring in younger fans, they are “at least in part a way of providing the coverage of the event in the absence of a broadcasting right.”
“But who knows?” he said. “The world of sport and entertainment is moving so, so quickly.”
He says the technology involved in the animation — which includes light emitters inside the puck and the back of players’ jerseys — has improved since the NHL started using it, rendering players’ movements and strides even more accurately.
“It’s a way of making a product that might be more geared towards young adults and up to younger folks and also parents, parents that might not watch an NHL game but will with their children if there are characters on it that the children are interested in.”
McCann, the law professor, says it remains to be seen whether animation will play a bigger role in sports streaming going forward.
American organizations, including the National Hockey League and National Football League have been experimenting with animated broadcasts for years, albeit in a slightly different format.

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Where to stream Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament today

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December 7, 2025

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to keep their impressive season going on Saturday night, as they get set to host the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

Nebraska looked impressive in the first round of the tournament, vanquishing the Long Island Sharks in straight sets.

The Cornhuskers rolled toward another Big Ten championship. Nebraska has been dominant. Not only are they undefeated, but they have also been nearly untouchable. For two months, the team did not lose a set. The team then went on to win its final five matches in straight sets, clinching a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.

Now, the program that has played in every national tournament since the AIAW days has its sights set on advancing to the final four for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Nebraska looks to avenge last year’s disappointing semifinal exit at the hands of the eventual national champions, Penn State.

They take on a Kansas State that had to work hard to upset San Diego in the opening round, winning in straight sets on Friday. The Wildcats, who are playing in the national tournament for the first time in four years, look to grab the biggest of upsets and move on to the regional semifinal for the first time since 2011.

NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Second Round

Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

When: Saturday, December 6

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)

Stream: ESPN+



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Jane Hedengren Obliterates the NCAA 5K Record in Boston

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December 7, 2025

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Two weeks after finishing second at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, freshman Jane Hedengren shattered the collegiate record in the 5,000 meters.

On Saturday, December 6, the Brigham Young University standout won the women’s elite race in 14:44.79 at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. With a huge surge in the second half of the race, Hedengren improved on the previous indoor collegiate record (14:52.57) set by Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the same meet in Boston last year.

Hedengren also broke the combined collegiate record (indoor and outdoor track), 14:52.18, set by Parker Valby at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hedengren is now No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 11 on the world all-time list in the event, indoors.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” Hedengren told Nia Gibson on the FloTrack broadcast after the race.

Hedengren showed her dominance early at Boston University’s indoor facility. From the gun, Hedengren and Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico both positioned themselves behind pacesetter Ellie Leather through the first mile in 4:48, on pace for a 14:55 finish. By the 2K split, both athletes had pulled ahead of the chase pack by 50 meters.

That gap continued to grow heading into the halfway mark as the cross-country rivals dueled for the lead. Just after the 3,000-meter split, which the pair covered in 8:59, Hedengren surged ahead of Kosgei and never looked back.

For the last 2,000 meters, Hedengren knocked off blazing 34 to 35-second splits for each lap until throwing down an impressive 66-second close for the final 400 meters. Her teammate, Riley Chamberlain, battled for second-place in 14:58.97, a 25-second personal best. Kosgei finished third in 15:05:41.

Before she graduated from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, last spring, Hedengren broke nine national records on the track—including the 5,000 meters in April when she became the first high school girl to go sub-15 for the distance.

At 19 years old, Hedengren has already emerged as an NCAA leader in her first season running for the Cougars. In October, she dominated the Pre-National Invitational and shattered the course record in her collegiate cross-country debut. She went on to win the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Mountain Region Championships by huge margins.

In late November, Hedengren was competing for the win at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships but couldn’t match the closing speed of Lemngole, the defending champion. With a surge in the last kilometer of the race in Columbia, Missouri, the junior from Kenya claimed the 6K title in 18:25, about 13 seconds ahead of Hedengren.

In a quick turnaround to the track season, Hedengren earned a form of redemption in Boston. She is the most recent athlete in the last several years to break the collegiate record at the indoor season opener, which many elite athletes utilize as a final push of fitness before the holidays. Lemngole—and Valby prior to her—set the indoor record at the same meet.

Headshot of Taylor Dutch

Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.



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Gophers volleyball wins NCAA Tournament opener, avoids St. Thomas matchup

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December 7, 2025

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Minnesota volleyball opened NCAA Tournament play on Friday at Maturi Pavilion with a dominant sweep over Fairfield University. It marks the 11th straight year that the Gophers have won a first-round game.

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The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region after a 22-9 regular-season campaign. The other game in their Minneapolis pod was five-seed Iowa State against in-state foe St. Thomas, which played its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Cyclones won a five-set battle before Minnesota’s game.

“I’m proud of our team for playing our brand of volleyball. Serving, blocking and playing really clean. Tomorrow will be a big challenge. Iowa State is a great team in a lot of facets, especially defensively,” Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook said after the game.

Minnesota already beat St. Thomas three sets to one in a nonconference game in August, but an NCAA Tournament clash in the Tommies’ first season eligible would’ve felt like a huge contest. Ultimately, Iowa State will face the Gophers on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at Maturi Pavilion with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Cyclones had an impressive 22-7 regular-season campaign, and a 12-6 mark in the Big 12. Saturday’s showdown should be a great contest between two of the better college volleyball programs in the Midwest.

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Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College men’s track and field kicked off their indoor season today at the Reggie Lewis Center, competing in the Suffolk Relays and setting two new program records.

Senior Brady Elliot (Charlestown, N.H.) made an impressive debut for the Pride, placing second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters, establishing a new indoor program record. Elliot also competed in the long jump, finishing 12th with a distance of 6.06 meters. Joseph Doughty (Woburn, Mass.) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters.

Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) earned three top-ten finishes. His best came in the shot put, where he took third with throw of 12.82 meters to set a new personal best. Thuotte also placed fifth in the long jump, setting a new indoor program record with a leap of 6.65 meters, and finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.28 meters. Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) joined Thuotte on the shot put leaderboard, finishing fourth with a toss of 12.65 meters. Sweeney also set a personal best in the weight throw with an 11.28 meter toss. 

Jalen Jones (Everett, Mass.) claimed fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 11.94 meters. Meanwhile, DJ Marks (Medford, Mass.) and Luc Willems (Belchertown, Mass.) rounded out the top ten finishers in the high jump and men’s 1000m, respectively. Marks cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, and Willems crossed the line in 3:18.18 in the 1000-meter run.

In the men’s 1600 sprint medley relay, the team of Zach Olaywole (Marlborough, Mass.), Jones, Elliot, and Nathan Thomas (Medford, Mass.) finished 13th overall with a time of 4:13.28.

The Pride will quickly turn around as they head to UMass Boston tomorrow for the Beacon Season Opener.



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No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State

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December 7, 2025

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AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.

The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.

Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.

Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.

Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.

Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.

Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.



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Men’s Track and Field Starts 2026 Campaign With Strong Showing at Springfield College Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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Springfield, Mass. – December 6, 2025 – The Springfield College men’s track and field team had a strong showing as it hosted the Springfield College Season Opener for the first meet of the season. 

Shane Erb (Marion, Iowa) took first place in the mile after finishing with a time of 4:23.30 and was the second place finisher in the 3000-meter run after crossing the finish line at 9:02.42. Erb’s mile time ranks sixth in Division III to start the campaign, while his 3,000-meter time ranks 14th.

Mike Anderson (Cromwell, Conn.) and Isaiah Hannah (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished first and second, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles. Anderson finished with a time of 8.16 to tie his school record he broke just a season ago, while Hannah finished at 8.59. Anderson’s time currently ranks second in Division III this season.

In his debut, Luca Kabel (Merrimack, N.H.) won the 60-meter dash crossing the finish line at 7.04. He also competed in the 200-meter dash where he finished second at 22.58.

Colin Hansen (Ipswich, Mass.) won the 400-meter dash at 50.54 and Seth Twarog (Hubbardston, Mass.) was close behind at 50.70 which was good for a second place finish with both now ranking inside the top-20 nationally to kick off the seaosn. Parker Ruger (Rhinebeck, N.Y.)  won the 600-meter run finishing in 1:26.74 while Eli Burt (Topsham, Maine) came in third at 1:29.34 in their first meets for the Pride.

The 4×400-meter relay team of Twarog, Ruger, Hansen, and first-year Caleb March (Hampden, Maine) took the win after crossing the finish line at 3:37.78.

In the field events, Alex McKenney (Ossining, N.Y.) won the pole vault after clearing 4.45-meters (14 feet, 7.25 inches), which currently stands eighth in the country, while Jamil Manu (Manchester, Conn.) claimed second in the high jump after jumping 1.92-meters (6 feet, 3.50 inches).

Martin Nyagilo (Randolph, Mass.) won the shot put with a throw of 15.21-meters (49 feet, 10.75 inches), a mark that ranks sixth in the country early in the season and Peyton Blanchard (Kennebunk, Maine) came in third with a mark of 14.28-meters (47 feet, 2.25 inches). Charles Botelho (Middleboro, Mass.) finished third in the weight throw with mark of 15.01-meters (49.3 feet).

Springfield will await the new year and travel to Tufts on Saturday, January 17 for the Branwen Smith-King Invitational.

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For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.





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