Wimbledon Eyes Indian Market: Courts Cricket Fans with Cross-Sport Strategy

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market, leveraging the nation's fervent love for cricket to expand its reach. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organizers of the prestigious Wimbledon Championships, have noted the presence of prominent Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar at the event.

AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton identifies India and the US as key markets for expanding the Wimbledon brand. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, told 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."

Strategic Collaborations: Cricket and Tennis Unite

Wimbledon is actively exploring collaborations that resonate with Indian audiences. Dinen highlighted an initiative involving an Indian social media influencer who experienced a day at Lord's during a Test match and then at the Wimbledon Championships.

The tournament also partnered with Star Sports to create a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL). This cross-promotional strategy aims to capture the attention of cricket fans and introduce them to the world of Wimbledon.

India's Untapped Potential

Wimbledon recognizes its potential for growth, particularly in India. Last year, the tournament garnered 60-70 million engagements across broadcast and social media platforms. Given the vast potential audience in India, there is significant "headroom" for expansion, especially among the country's young population.

Dinen emphasized the importance of younger audiences, stating, "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."

The strategy involves creating engaging content and working with influencers to reach these demographics. "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."

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Innovation

While organizers would like to host events in India, the monsoon season presents a logistical challenge. To address this, AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters.

Wimbledon also aims to attract attention by inviting Indian cricket icons like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, a celebrity-filled area.

Despite maintaining its traditions, Wimbledon is embracing technology. After 147 years, line judges have been replaced, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in partnership with IBM, is being integrated into the app and website.

During live matches, the 'Match Chat' assistant provides fans with immediate responses and match analysis, enhancing their engagement.

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