Wimbledon Courts India's Cricket Fans: Strategic Play for Growth

Thursday - 17/07/2025 04:27
Wimbledon is targeting India to grow its brand, tapping into cricket’s popularity and engaging young audiences through collaborations, influencers, and technology. Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rohit Sharma have become key figures in this strategy. With key partnerships, Wimbledon aims to blend tradition with innovation for global appeal.

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market by leveraging the country's deep-rooted passion for cricket. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organizers of the prestigious Wimbledon Championships, have noticed the presence of Indian cricket stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, and Dinesh Karthik at the event.

Carlos Alcaraz practices for Wimbledon 2025

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain serves during a practice session prior to The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Rohit Sharma's photograph on Wimbledon's Instagram garnered a record-breaking 4.5 million likes, highlighting the potential for engagement within the Indian audience.

A Collaborative Approach

Instead of competing with cricket's popularity, Wimbledon aims to collaborate with the sport. 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."

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his Wimbledon victory

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates Wimbledon 2024 title (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Strategic Initiatives

Wimbledon is implementing several initiatives to connect with Indian audiences:

  • Social Media Engagement: Teaming up with Indian social media influencers to provide behind-the-scenes experiences at both a Test match at Lord's and the Wimbledon Championships.
  • Broadcast Partnerships: Collaborating with Star Sports to create tennis-cricket crossover trailers that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Targeting Growth and Younger Audiences

Wimbledon recognizes the vast potential for growth, particularly in India, with its large and young population. The tournament aims to engage a wider audience by focusing on creating content tailored for platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

Dinen emphasized, "Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us… ensuring that we can have the content and different parts of the Championships, with tennis at the centre of that approach."

Overcoming Challenges

One challenge is the timing of the monsoon season in India, which makes hosting events difficult. To address this, AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in large screen theaters.

Royal Box Invitations and AI Integration

Another strategy involves inviting Indian cricket icons like Kohli and Tendulkar to the Royal Box, which would help boost Wimbledon's visibility on social media.

Furthermore, Wimbledon is embracing technology by integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its app and website, in coordination with IBM, to enhance the fan experience. This includes a "Match Chat" assistant that answers fans' questions during live matches.

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."

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