The 3rd richest football club in the world, Manchester United has an Indian connection. The Red Devils have tied up with IT giants HCL. The Noida-based company will now provide Manchester United and its fans a new digital experience on social media.
HCL will also set up a digital museum at the iconic Old Trafford stadium, which will give fans a trip down memory lane. Clearly, the 137-year-old club is finding new ways to engage more fans.
Jaco Van Eeden, the Global Head of HCL's Beyond Digital Business Unit feels that the people are not interested in traditional media anymore, "How do you get the fans to the right place and the right time? Because without that, you don't add the right value to the relation. People don't like an advert in their face anymore."
The Indian tech connection though doesn't end there. Defending English Premier League Champions Chelsea have joined hands with Bangalore based firm Wipro.
The Azim Premji led company will provide a re-invented social media and online presence for the London side over the next 3 years. Apart from the giants of world football turning towards Indian tech companies, there's also a clear trend emerging in terms of the future goals of these firms, after all these new tie-ups aren't considered traditional.
But these ventures are opening new markets for the tech companies. Rajan Kohli, the Global Head of Wipro Digital says, "This has given us (Wipro) a huge impetus both for Digital and Sports and Entertainment business. UK is one big market and there is huge market potential in rest of the Europe."
It's actually game set and match for Indian tech firms because it isn't just the football world where they are scoring. Bangalore based IT giant Infosys have tied up with ATP, the world governing body of men's tennis to provide internet solutions to not just the fans but also the players.