IBM Announces Long-Term Renewal as the Official AI, Cloud and Digital Transformation Partner for The All England Lawn Tennis Club
The partnership will see new and enhanced digital experiences served up for fans of The Championships, Wimbledon, enabled by IBM-led transformation and powered by AI
LONDON, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) and The All England Lawn Tennis Club today announced a multi-year renewal of their long-standing, landmark technology partnership. From the launch of the Wimbledon website in 1995 and the mobile application in 2009, to the first integration of enhanced AI-powered solutions in 2017, IBM and the All England Club have collaborated for 36 years to deepen global fan engagement across Wimbledon's world-class digital platforms.
The successful partnership between IBM and the All England Club has long set the standard for creating engaging fan-facing features that have raised the bar for tech innovation in sport. Building on more than three decades of continuous innovation, the new agreement is focused on initiatives to expand the event's global reach and achieve a deeper fan engagement across Wimbledon's digital ecosystem in 2026 and beyond.
Teams from IBM and the All England Club work together year-round to co-create unique fan experiences – such as Live Likelihood to Win and Match Chat – that combine the significant quantity of data generated during The Championships with the deep AI capabilities of IBM watsonx. In 2025, these efforts contributed to a 16% year-on-year increase in engagement across all platforms, with more than 20 million fans closely following all the grass court action via the app and website. The app alone saw a 19% increase in engagement and received an outstanding average rating of 4.9 stars in app stores.
The partnership has also won multiple awards, including the All England Club being recognised as 'Sports Organisation of the Year' at the 2025 Sports Technology Awards, for the innovative use of AI and technology to transform the Wimbledon fan experience.
"We are delighted to have agreed a multi-year extension to our long-standing partnership with IBM," said Usama Al-Qassab, Marketing & Commercial Director, The All England Lawn Tennis Club. "For 36 years, IBM and the All England Club have embraced innovation and created world-leading digital experiences to bring our fans closer to The Championships. As we look to attract the next generation of Wimbledon fans from around the world, the AI-powered capabilities of IBM will be key to ensuring our future digital experiences are relevant, personalised and engaging."
"The All England Club is a visionary organisation, delivering one of the most globally recognisable properties in sport and broader culture. We are thrilled to continue working in lockstep as partners to serve up a world-class digital experience, driven by leading edge data and AI technology," said Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, IBM. "Whether onsite at SW19 or following from any corner of the globe for years to come, hundreds of millions of tennis fans can rely on having interactive digital features, powered by watsonx, to stay connected to the beauty, drama and excitement of The Championships."
According to a new global survey from IBM and Morning Consult released last summer, 86% of tennis fans worldwide see value in AI-powered features, with real-time insights and personalised highlights central to how they engage.
Together, IBM and the All England Club remain committed to developing new technologies that make The Championships more accessible and immersive for millions of fans, helping tennis to thrive exponentially on the global stage.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.
Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
About The All England Lawn Tennis Club
The All England Lawn Tennis Club's principal activity is the organisation and staging of The Championships, Wimbledon, the oldest of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Founded in 1868, the Club is responsible for maintaining the traditions of Wimbledon while embracing innovation to ensure that The Championships remains at the pinnacle of sport. Each year, The Championships welcomes half a million fans onsite and millions more through global broadcast and digital channels. For more information, visit www.wimbledon.com and follow @wimbledon on all major social media platforms.
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SOURCE IBM