Carlos Alcaraz

New year, new-look tennis?

The Australian Open, the first major tournament of 2025, is underway in Melbourne and while fans across the world tune it, they’re seeing the sport in a completely aesthetic.

In a unique attempt at bypassing broadcast rights worldwide, the Australian Open YouTube channel is live-simulcasting games with cartoon characters. Fans can tune in for every game of the tournament, completely free and with original audio/commentary, regardless of their location.

The characters used to depict some of tennis’ biggest stars have an uncanny resemblance to those from the classic Wii Sports video game, a connection made by many online.

Each country typically has its own exclusive television and stream rights holders, so the Aussie Open decided the best way to showcase their event to a worldwide audience was by going virtual.

Although creative, sports going virtual is not a new thing. The NFL has been doing simulcasts for a couple of seasons, welcoming The Simpsons to the gridiron just last month.

Meanwhile, the NBA also got in the fun by doing a SpongeBob-themed simulcast earlier in the season and the NHL brought Looney Tunes characters to the ice not long ago as well.

It’s an alternative way to live broadcast sporting events without actually showing any footage that could be restricted due to rights conflicts. Hence, Wii Sports meets the Australian Open (albeit not as an official collaboration).