Wimbledon Eyes Indian Market, Courts Cricket Fans to Boost Tennis Appeal

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market by leveraging the country's immense passion for cricket. Iconic Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have been frequent attendees at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organizers of the Wimbledon Championships.

Rohit Sharma's presence on Wimbledon's Instagram generated unprecedented engagement, highlighting the crossover appeal. The AELTC recognizes the potential for growth in India and the US.

Sally Bolton, AELTC Chief Executive, emphasizes the importance of these markets. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, explained to TimesofIndia.com, "Cricket is much loved and certainly king for Indian audiences. So rather than trying to compete with that, I think it's about trying to find interesting ways to collaborate. Both sports are rich in heritage."

Wimbledon is actively seeking collaborations that resonate with Indian sports enthusiasts. One initiative involves partnering with an Indian social media influencer who will experience a day at Lord's Cricket Ground followed by an afternoon at the Wimbledon Championships.

Further bridging the gap between the two sports, Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner in India, created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Despite its global prestige, Wimbledon acknowledges the potential for expansion. The tournament garnered 60-70 million engagements last year, but with over a billion potential interested individuals in India, the scope for growth is significant.

Dinen emphasized the importance of engaging younger demographics. "Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us. It's clear in the activity that we focus on and our content strategy, whether that's for Instagram, YouTube and the sort of content we create," he said.

He further added, "India is a sport loving country. Obviously, cricket is king, but Wimbledon is also a broad mainstream event. So there's certainly an opportunity to engage wider audiences, not just younger audiences, but those are really integral and important to our plans."

To overcome logistical challenges posed by the monsoon season, AELTC is collaborating with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters across India.

Wimbledon also aims to capitalize on the massive social media followings of Indian cricket stars by inviting them to the Royal Box.

Adapting to the digital age, Wimbledon is embracing technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to enhance the fan experience.

During live matches, the "Match Chat" assistant provides instant answers and match analysis to fans, enhancing engagement.

Dinen concluded, "We continue to embrace technology, and it sits at the heart of the balance between heritage and innovation...We've brought experiences to life in places like Roblox. So we absolutely want to make sure we bring the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."