Wimbledon Serves Up India: Grand Slam Eyes Cricket-Loving Nation for Expansion

Wimbledon Courts India: A Strategic Play Beyond Cricket

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically expanding its reach into the Indian market, leveraging the nation's passion for sports, particularly cricket. Key figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have been spotted at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), signaling the tournament's intent to connect with Indian audiences.

According to AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton, India and the US are 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."

Wimbledon is actively exploring collaborations with cricket. Initiatives include partnering with an Indian social media influencer for a behind-the-scenes experience at both a Test match at Lord's and the Wimbledon Championships. They also worked with Star Sports to create a tennis-cricket crossover trailer during the IPL.

Despite its prestige, Wimbledon recognizes the potential for further growth. Last year, the tournament garnered 60-70 million engagements across broadcast and social media. With a potential audience of over a billion in India, significant opportunities exist, especially among the younger demographic.

Dinen clarified, "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 added that Wimbledon aims to engage these audiences through social media platforms, influencers, and content creators, always keeping tennis at the forefront.

Wimbledon hopes to solidify its presence in India by hosting events, but the monsoon season poses a challenge. To overcome this, the AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters.

Another tactic involves inviting Indian cricket stars with massive social media followings to the Royal Box. While there are currently no firm plans due to the Indian cricket team's tour of England, this remains a possibility.

Wimbledon embraces technological advancements while honoring its traditions. They've incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI), in partnership with IBM, into their app and website.

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