Viewers watching the Australian Open on more than one screen this year, many playing tablet tennis

SPORTS-mad Aussies are streaming more Australian Open matches than ever this year, with some using the technology to watch the action on more than one court at a time.

AUSTRALIANS are clicking and streaming Australian Open tennis like never before, even using more than one screen simultaneously to make sure they miss none of the action.

And while the tablet computer has emerged as the go-to device for watching live matches over the internet this year, smartphones could play a part in the men’s and women’s finals this weekend.

Channel 7 and Yahoo7 teamed to deliver 16 live feeds from each tennis court at the Australian Open for the first time this year, available in the 7Sport app in the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.

But Yahoo7 product and audience director Caroline Casey said the companies did not expect the reception they received, with more than 3.1 million tennis streams, and 228,000 hours watched from the app.

Nick Kyrgios in action against Andy Murray in their quarterfinals clash on Rod Laver Arena. Picture: Mark Stewart

Unlike previous years, the tablet computer proved the most popular device for live streaming matches, she said, earning 43 per cent of the streams.

Ms Casey said some tablet owners were using the app to set up something of a home broadcast centre, with tennis on the TV and other, smaller screens.

“People are watching live on Channel 7 and they’ve got their tablet out and they’re watching another court too,” she said. “They’re watching multiple courts live.

“Sometimes we can see what courts are popular before it happens on TV. We can see which ones they’re clicking on more and sometimes they are not the ones with the big names.”

But while smartphone streaming had only attracted “about a third” of the live streams this year, Ms Casey said that could change for the finals, depending on where tennis fans were at the time.

TV streaming is becoming a bigger trend in Australia this year, with several new TV-streaming services launching, including Presto, Stan, and Netflix.

Originally published as Viewers watching the Australian Open on more than one screen this year, many playing tablet tennis