MUMBAI: The strawberries may be fresh, but the money is fresher. Wimbledon 2025, streaming on JioHotstar and airing on Star Sports Select 1 & 2 and Star Sports 2, has turned into a grand slam not just for tennis but for India’s financial marketing elite.
BFSI brands have come out swinging this season, emerging as the top-performing category in advertiser participation, with a 50 per cent surge in client count over last year’s edition. From mutual funds and banking to insurance and fintech, Wimbledon has become the new turf where India’s money men are building brand muscle and not just with return-on-investment shots.
The campaign, branded ‘Affluence in Motion’, leans into the Wimbledon mystique — tradition, prestige and quiet power, aligning beautifully with the trust and stability that BFSI brands aim to project. The data agrees:
● 65 per cent of JioHotstar viewers in 2024 came from NCCS A
● 55 per cent were from the top 8 metros,
● and 53 per cent owned phones worth over Rs 25,000 — a dream demo for financial institutions hunting for affluent, digital-savvy consumers.
While past Wimbledons were about forehands and finesse, this one is about funds and fixed deposits. Leading the charge are ICICI Mutual Funds, who headline the BFSI presence alongside a rising roster of insurers and NBFCs.
Four brands have taken standalone contextual spots, smartly syncing their messaging with pre-match insights, commentary cut-ins, and even the Wimbledon Daily Live show beamed from London’s hallowed Centre Court. BFSI brands have found an especially elegant rhythm here — contextual ads pushing everything from retirement plans to wealth management, all draped in white and green Wimbledon glory.
Digital remains the heavyweight champ. With 35 per cent year-on-year growth in JioHotstar consumption and a 50 per cent spike in digital advertiser count, the platform continues to offer unmatched reach among India’s wealthy urbanites. And that’s before factoring in connected TV viewership, which doubled versus 2023.
The JioStar Network has drawn 17 new advertisers this year and retained 11 brands from Wimbledon 2024, with a 1.5x jump in revenue from these returning players. Automotive and BFSI brands are stealing the spotlight, but FMCG, alcobev, and luxury fittings are also swinging hard from Mahindra Electric, William Grant, HPCL, Jaquar, ICICI Mutual Funds to Amul, Haier, Kohler, Black and White.
For the first time ever, Wimbledon 2025 has secured Presenting Sponsors across both TV and digital, marking a watershed moment in its commercial evolution and proving that in the high-stakes game of brand tennis, the financial sector has truly aced it.
As the tennis legends serve fire on-court, India’s financial giants are volleying for attention off it, proving that at Wimbledon 2025, it’s not just the racquets that are making noise.
