Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Courts Cricket Fans to Ace Market Expansion

New Delhi: The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organizers of the prestigious Wimbledon Championships, are strategically targeting the Indian market, leveraging the nation's love for cricket to broaden their appeal. Familiar faces like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have graced the grounds of Wimbledon, demonstrating the tournament's growing connection with India.

Carlos Alcaraz prepares for Wimbledon 2025, emphasizing the tournament's future focus.

Rohit Sharma's photo on Wimbledon's Instagram account generated a staggering 4.5 million likes, marking their highest-engaged post to date. This is a testament to the potential of the Indian market.

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, spoke with TimesofIndia.com about this 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. England and India Test matches are happening now. 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," Dinen explained.

Wimbledon is actively seeking collaborative opportunities with cricket. One such initiative involves partnering with an Indian social media influencer who will experience a "day of a lifetime," attending a Test match at Lord's followed by a visit to the Championships.

Additionally, Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner in India, created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL). This innovative approach aimed to capture the attention of cricket fans and introduce them to the world of Wimbledon.

Targeting Younger Audiences

Wimbledon recognizes the importance of engaging younger demographics to secure its future. Dinen emphasized, "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."

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his Wimbledon 2024 victory, highlighting the event's global appeal.

The strategy involves tailoring content for various social media platforms and collaborating with influencers to connect with these audiences.

"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," Dinen added.

Overcoming Logistical Challenges

While Wimbledon aims to host events in India, the monsoon season presents a significant challenge. To address this, the AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters, bringing the Wimbledon experience to a wider audience.

Leveraging Star Power

Another tactic involves inviting prominent Indian cricketers like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, capitalizing on their massive social media followings. Although no firm plans are in place yet, this remains a potential avenue for enhancing Wimbledon's visibility in India.

Embracing Technology

Despite upholding its traditions, Wimbledon is embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. The tournament has partnered with IBM to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its app and website.

During live matches, the 'Match Chat' assistant provides fans with instant answers to their questions and delivers match analysis. This interactive feature allows spectators to engage with the tournament in new and exciting ways.

"We continue to embrace technology, and it sits at the heart of the balance between heritage and innovation. And in terms of things like Virtual Reality, we work on areas such as gaming. 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," Dinen concluded.