Infosys partners with Australian Open to innovate better fan experience
Next-generation technology services and consulting firm Infosys has signed a strategic partnership with the Australian Open for the coming three years. The agreement will put Infosys in charge of innovating the sporting mega-event’s digital experience to engage with new audiences across the world.
Infosys is an Indian IT giant formed in 1981 and headquartered in Bengaluru. The firm expanded into Australia just before the turn of the millennium and has since grown to have a formidable presence in the country. Establishing a subsidiary in Australia in 2003, the firm grew rapidly in the development of the Australian public sector’s digital transformation as well as through industries ranging from agriculture to natural resources and development.
Infosys is now set to become the Official Digital Innovation Partner of the Australian Open with the mandate to digitally evolve the sporting event’s capacity. This will be done by using a variety of emerging technologies including big data, automation, data analytics and both virtual and augmented realities. The goal is to create an unforgettable fan experience and make the Australian Open one of the most digitally innovative sporting events in the world.
The Australian Open, prior to the strategic partnership, had a deal with rival American IT multinational IBM. The two were engaged in a partnership for the past 20 years but severed ties mid-2017 due to unknown circumstances. The firm had been with the Australian Open since 1993 and had provided the event with its website, timetables, live streaming, cloud computing and new tech innovations including social media sentiment analysis and SlamTracker – the digital platform which processed athletes techniques and provided valuable analytical insights.
Infosys believes that it will take the experience for tennis fans across the globe to the next level. Whilst the consulting firm has not stated exactly how it would do this, Infosys have a highly developed digital spread that enables its clients to become digital champions. The firm boasts that its talents lie in boosting its client’s core technology landscape via AI and automation and re-skilling employees.
“This partnership is about creating new ways of experiencing the Australian Open. We’re really excited about the opportunity to showcase how digital technologies can enhance the boundaries of this tournament, to change the way the Australian Open is watched, analysed and played,” said Infosys CEO and Managing Director Salil Parekh.
The firm announced earlier this year that it intended to increase its presence throughout Australia in a ‘localisation’ push. Infosys saw its net profits grow by 5.3% year-on-year for the three months to March 2018 to over AUD$600 million last year – globally the firm’s global revenue runs over USD$10 billion – and plans to increase its staff-count across the country.
The high profile partnership is no doubt a part of Infosys’s Australian expansion strategy. “This association with Tennis Australia also reaffirms our strategic commitment to the region where we partner with some of the leading enterprises in driving their digital transformation agenda,” Parekh said.
The Australian Open’s tournament director, Craig Tiley, said of the deal; “Partnering with Infosys is an exciting next step in our ongoing quest to innovate the Australian Open and engage new audiences across the world. We have long understood the importance of using data and insights to improve connections with our fans, players, coaches and the rest of the tennis community and we look forward to working with Infosys to change the way we all experience our great sport in the future.”
