Tennis Australia Seeks to Increase its Visibility in India

According to a top official, Tennis Australia, the organization that hosts the renowned Australian Open tennis grand slam event, wants to increase its presence in India through strategic initiatives like bolstering its partnership with media rights, fostering grassroots development, partnering with Indian corporations for corporate sponsorships, and using cricket's broad appeal to promote tennis.

"It is really important to the Australian Open that we have a clear long-term vision for India, that we have a relationship as it relates to commercial opportunities, ticketing and travel opportunities, playing opportunities, how we can support India in the development of its players and entertainment opportunities," Craig Tiley, CEO stated.

Tiley cited the Australian Open's technical connection with Infosys and its long-standing media rights agreement with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as essential elements of its India-centric approach.

Additionally, he stated that India has the most YouTube audience for the Australian Open among all nations and territories. According to him, tennis is among the top three sports on YouTube worldwide.

From the standpoint of broadcasting, we have a long-standing relationship with Sony. We have been working with Infosys, our tech partner, for the past six years," he stated.

Tiley noted that the collaboration with Sony Sports has been successful, particularly in the last ten years, with high spectator engagement, especially when Indian players are playing.

Viewers of live Australian Open tennis matches on Sony Sports Network climbed from 9.8 million to 17.6 million, representing a compound annual growth rate of 15.74% in the post-Covid era, according to data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council.

"With our multi-channel telecast, local language commentary, and customized studio show programming, we have been at the forefront of growing audiences for the grand slams." Rajesh Kaul, who manages SPNI's sports and distribution businesses, stated that tennis has a following among premium audiences over the years. The Australian Open has continuously been one of the most watched grand slams, Kaul continued, drawing in companies looking to connect with wealthy tennis fans.

Tiley emphasized that because tennis and cricket share many similarities and mutual respect, the India-Australia cricket rivalry presents opportunities for cross-sport cooperation. Even though tennis is famous all over the world, cricket is still the most popular sport in India and one of the most popular in Australia.