Wimbledon 2024 is here, and it’s set to be a showstopper. Picture this: lush green grass, the iconic purple and green decor, and a lineup that’s as exciting as ever. Defending champ Carlos Alcaraz is back, ready to face fierce competition from the likes of Jannik Sinner and the legendary Novak Djokovic and on the women’s side, Iga Swiatek is chasing her first Wimbledon title – how thrilling is that?!
Whether you’re a die-hard tennis fan or just love the buzz around Wimbledon, there’s something incredibly special about this year’s tournament. Ready to dive into the details and see what’s new this year at the All England Club?
Growing Global Viewership and Digital Engagement
The fans from all over the globe and enhancing internet presence in the recent years also proves the fact that Wimbledon is popular not only on the conventional mediums but on the web as well. Wimbledon proved popular in 2023 and was watched by 25.5 million television viewers and set a new record of 53.8 million online streams underlining the diversification of the tournament’s audience, as well as the efficient usage of online media to interact with the people.
Moreover, special matches like the one between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic drew 11.3 million viewers on BBC One alone. On the digital side, engagement has soared, with Wimbledon’s social media seeing a 162% increase in engagement and a 60% rise in video views compared to 2022. This resulted in 1.9 billion impressions and a total of 82 minutes of video ad exposure. Overall, the tournament engaged the target audience 3 million times across all channels.
Such a rise in digital communication is in perfect harmony with the experience of change regarding watching sports internationally. Recently due to advances in technology and the ability to stream more and more events, people prefer to watch and advertise during Wimbledon and other major sporting events.
With several tournaments embracing the social media networks and dedicated apps such as Wimbledon,fans are able to get more involved, being able to follow a match as it is live in real time, watch the highlights and be able to access other content more easily.
Such a digital advancement does not merely upgrade the platform of viewing but also help the tournament to extend its reach at the worldwide stage and therefore it can target the new market and demography making the fan base stronger and more varied year after year.
Wimbledon Live Streaming Platforms
With the excitement of Wimbledon in full swing, tennis fans everywhere are eager to catch every thrilling moment. Hence, a variety of streaming platforms have made it easy to stay connected to the action, no matter where you are. From official broadcasters to digital services, there’s something for everyone, whether you prefer watching on your TV, laptop, or phone. Dive into the best live streaming options to ensure you don’t miss a single serve, rally, or match point of this tournament:
- Star Sports Network shall broadcast the event in India, making it easier for as many people as possible to follow the games. Also, the live streaming shall be allowed on Disney+ Hotstar.
- ESPN continues to be the main rights holder for Wimbledon in the US up to the year 2035 and the network spreads the tournament across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC channels. The games will be broadcasted live and will include early rounds up to the championships.
- ESPN+ is a perfect platform for the enthusiasts of tennis as it includes more content such as the qualifications and backstage materials. Other platforms such as Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, or YouTube TV also include packages with ESPN channels to assist the viewers in not missing anything. Such facilities include, no storage limitation for DVR and the facility to view different stations on screen at the same time.
- BBC provides detailed coverage through its channels that is freely accessible to the residents of the United Kingdom. This encompasses the live streaming on the BBC iPlayer and other on the Red Button service.
- For people from other countries, there are ways to watch ESPN and other required channels using companies such as FuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV. These services are mostly accompanied by a free trial period and this means that new users can watch Wimbledon for free at first.
Utilizing the majority of well-known streaming platforms, the user can view the matches on their smartphone, tablet, smart TV, and even gaming console. These options for broadcast are adjusted depending on the needs of the viewers and may range from a viewer who wants the coverage of the tournament in detail to the viewer who might only want to watch the finals of the tournament. Variety in watching platforms means that Wimbledon 2024 will possibly get viewership from all over the world, making it better than any other year.
Growth in Wimbledon’s Reach
India becomes very important for Wimbledon’s expansion plans due to a consequent growth in the viewership and more active participation in the event. The AELTC has seen this trend and is endeavoring to establish ways and means of leveraging this new found interest from viewers in India.
The statistics prove the fact that Wimbledon is gaining more and more popularity in India with every year. For example, the TV audience in India increased by 34.4 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022. Further, entries from the Indian fans have also boosted in case of Wimbledon Public Ballot , which was up 74 percent in comparison to last year. This proves the high interest of Indians in the game.
The tournament has been witnessing an increasing interest among the stakeholders and viewers for many years now, and to cater to this need, the AELTC has signed with the Star Sports Network for the broadcasting of the Championships with Hindi commentary for the first time. Thus, this endeavor is aimed at creating a heightened interest amongst the Hindi-speaking population towards the tournament.
Considering the fans in India and the extent to which the tournament wants to show them they are valued, Wimbledon needs to diversify and look at the local level, in which it can reach out to influential personalities in tennis to create a connection with the Indian fans. This measure entails identifying local opinion leaders and having them arrange for various activities such as the screening of the match at the British Embassy in New Delhi as a way of ensuring that potential customers get a richer experience of Wimbledon.
Such measures by the AELTC point towards a new direction in the manner in which Wimbledon is being branded across international markets including the fast-growing markets of India. While such strategic expansions will help Wimbledon increase its geographical reach, it also counts on the tactics that will be able to engage progressively more native clients of different nationalities and from different parts of the world. This strategy has several dimensions that can be observed in the general tendencies in the field of sports marketing- the specifics of country adaptation is among the major driving forces for the international fans.
