Wimbledon Eyes Indian Market: Courts Cricket Fans to Ace Growth Strategy

New Delhi: Wimbledon, the prestigious tennis tournament, is strategically targeting the Indian market by leveraging the immense popularity of cricket. Prominent Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have been frequent attendees at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the organizer of the Wimbledon Championships.

The presence of these cricket icons is no accident. Wimbledon recognizes the potential to tap into India's vast sporting audience. 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, explained the strategy: "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... So I think there's interesting ways to be able to bring that to life for audiences, so that they might want to come and watch it as well."

Wimbledon is actively seeking collaborations to bridge the gap between tennis and cricket. One initiative involved an Indian social media influencer who experienced a "day of a lifetime" by attending a Test match at Lord's and then visiting the Wimbledon Championships.

Furthermore, Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner, created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the most-watched cricket tournaments globally.

While Wimbledon boasts significant global engagement, reaching 60-70 million people last year, organizers believe there is considerable room for growth, particularly in India, with its large and youthful population.

Dinen emphasized the importance of attracting younger audiences: "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."

Wimbledon aims to engage these audiences through targeted content on social media platforms, collaborations with influencers, and innovative ways to showcase the Championships.

To further connect with Indian fans, Wimbledon is exploring opportunities to host events in India. Despite the challenges posed by the monsoon season, the AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters.

Another strategy involves inviting Indian cricket stars to the Royal Box, leveraging their massive social media followings. While no concrete plans are currently in place due to the Indian cricket team's tour of England, this remains a potential avenue for future engagement.

Wimbledon is also embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. While maintaining traditions like the all-white dress code and serving strawberries and cream, the tournament is utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its app and website, in coordination with IBM.

The "Match Chat" assistant provides real-time answers to fans' questions, offering immediate responses and match analysis.

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