Wimbledon Eyes India's Lucrative Market, Leveraging Cricket's Popularity for Growth

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market, leveraging the popularity of cricket to expand its reach. Prominent Indian cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have been frequent visitors to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the prestigious host of the Wimbledon Championships.

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AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton has identified India and the US as key markets for growth, aiming to amplify the historic brand's influence.

Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, highlighted the collaborative approach. "Cricket is king for Indian audiences. Rather than compete, we seek interesting collaborations. Both sports have rich heritage, like the ongoing England and India Test matches. We want to bring that to life, encouraging fans to enjoy both."

Leveraging Cricket's Popularity

Wimbledon is actively exploring innovative ways to engage Indian audiences. This includes:

• Collaborating with Indian social media influencers: An influencer experienced a special day, attending a Test match at Lord's before exploring the Wimbledon Championships, documenting the experience for their followers.
• Partnering with Star Sports: The broadcast partner created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL), capitalizing on cricket's extensive viewership.

Expanding Wimbledon's Footprint

Wimbledon recognizes its potential for further growth despite its prestige. Last year, the tournament garnered 60-70 million engagements across broadcast and social media platforms. With a potential audience of over a billion, the scope for expansion is immense, particularly among India's young population.

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Dinen emphasized the importance of younger audiences: "Younger audiences are crucial. Our content strategy focuses on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, ensuring we engage them through social media, influencers, and content creators, with tennis at the core."

He added, "India loves sports, and while cricket is king, Wimbledon is a mainstream event. There's an opportunity to engage wider audiences, with younger demographics being integral to our plans."

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Innovation

Organizers are keen to host events in India to foster deeper connections, but the monsoon season presents a logistical hurdle. As a workaround, AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters, bringing the Wimbledon experience to a wider audience.

Wimbledon also aims to attract attention by inviting Indian cricket stars like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box.

Wimbledon is embracing technology to enhance the fan experience, ditching line judges and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its app and website.

During live matches, the 'Match Chat' assistant answers fans' questions with immediate responses and match analysis.

Dinen concluded, "We embrace technology, balancing heritage and innovation. We're exploring Virtual Reality and gaming experiences, bringing the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."