Inside IBM’s Game Plan: Kevin Farrar on AI, Data, and the Future of Sports Partnerships

Kevin Farrar, Head of Sports Partnerships at IBM EMEA, has been instrumental in shaping how one of the world’s most iconic tech companies collaborates with sports organisations to deliver data-driven innovation. From Wimbledon to The Masters, IBM’s pioneering work in AI, cloud computing, and digital engagement continues to redefine fan experiences and strategic insights in global sports. In this exclusive conversation with iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav, Kevin shares how technology is transforming the business of sport — and what lies ahead.

Wimbledon just got over, and IBM has been doing some great work there in terms of data and analytics. Was anything upgraded this year? How has the experience been of working with Wimbledon, especially considering the pressure of such an iconic tournament?

It is absolutely an iconic tournament globally, and it’s a privilege to be part of it. I’ve worked on Wimbledon for 15 years and led the partnership for the last five. IBM has partnered with Wimbledon since 1990 — this was our 36th year — and each year, we bring fresh innovation for fans around the world. As part of our contract, we have a built-in innovation workstream to ensure we always deliver new features.

This year, we introduced Match Chat and Live Likelihood to Win, both of which build on our AI work from previous years. For instance, since 2017, we’ve used AI to generate match highlight reels based on crowd noise and player gestures to assign an excitement level to each rally. This year, generative AI helped us create more content at scale — like providing fans with match summaries or deep-dive stats in real time through match chat. It’s all about making the Wimbledon experience accessible and engaging for fans everywhere, not just those on site.

As a Wimbledon fan myself, I’ve noticed how much more engaging the viewing experience has become. Is fan engagement a key focus, especially for reaching younger audiences like Gen Z?

Absolutely. Fan engagement has been a priority for years across all our sports partnerships. Through our innovation process, we consider different fan personas. Some just want to watch a match, but younger fans want bite-sized, snackable content. They want to dip in and out of a match, follow it on mobile, or get quick updates.

Generative AI allows us to create content at scale and personalize it. For example, with Match Chat, a fan can join in the second set and simply ask what’s happened so far — and get a short, natural-language summary. If they want more detail, they can dig into stats like aces or double faults. This type of flexible, user-friendly design is central to how we work with Wimbledon.

Have you seen a measurable jump in fan engagement or user numbers due to this storytelling approach and new AI features?

Yes, absolutely. We’re just gathering results from this year, but we’ve already seen an increase in unique users and engagement rates. Our Match Chat and Live Likelihood to Win features saw 2–3x the engagement compared to features from last year. That’s not to say last year’s features weren’t successful — we’re simply always raising the bar. The numbers show real growth in audience size and fan interaction, which is exactly what Wimbledon aims to achieve.

IBM also works with Ferrari. How is that different from Wimbledon? Do you use a similar strategy or adapt it entirely?

There are similarities, but also unique nuances. Ferrari, like Wimbledon, has a massive global following. When we started with Ferrari, they wanted to improve how they engage fans — especially digitally. We reimagined the Ferrari app, incorporating generative AI to deliver race summaries in English and Italian, adding a layer of localization and personalization.

With motorsport, you deal with millions of data points from the cars. Our challenge is to turn that into meaningful fan experiences without revealing competitive secrets mid-race. Like with Wimbledon, it’s about representing the brand authentically, understanding boundaries of data use, and engaging fans through relevant, platform-specific experiences.

IBM is a globally iconic brand. What other sports properties are you currently working with? And when IBM considers partnering with a property like Wimbledon or Ferrari, what’s the thought process?

We aim to partner with globally recognized, iconic events that are great showcases for IBM’s consulting and technology capabilities. Our current portfolio includes:

• Wimbledon
• US Open Tennis
• The Masters Golf
• ESPN (Fantasy Football)
• UFC
• The Grammys (entertainment)
• Ferrari in Formula 1

All these events have strong brand alignment with IBM — a 114-year-old company — and massive global reach. For instance, Ferrari signed on during Formula 1’s 75th anniversary, which was a perfect fit. These partnerships allow us to demonstrate our capabilities to millions of fans, which in turn translates into solutions for our enterprise clients.

You’ve mentioned how different sports appeal to different fan bases — UFC and golf are worlds apart. Do you create a common engagement strategy, or do you tailor it for each property?

We definitely tailor it. There is some reuse of ideas and technology, but our strategy is always grounded in ideation with each partner.

For example, in spring, we do ideation workshops with Wimbledon and our other partners. We explore trends in sports tech, AI, and fan behavior. Some ideas may not suit tennis but work perfectly for golf or motorsport. The same core IBM team often works across different properties, allowing us to cross-pollinate ideas while customizing experiences for specific audiences.

Do you see scope for IBM to work with newer, emerging sports like padel or pickleball?

Yes. While our biggest partnerships are with global properties, we also work commercially with sports organizations of all sizes.

AI and generative AI make it easier for emerging sports — which might lack big broadcast deals — to still connect with fans digitally. They can draw inspiration from what we do with Wimbledon or Ferrari and apply similar tools, whether from IBM, competitors, or open-source platforms. There’s a huge opportunity for democratizing access and engagement through tech.

Having led such iconic sports partnerships, what’s your long-term vision for how sport-tech partnerships will evolve over the next decade?

It all starts with data. New data sources enable new insights, which create new experiences.

This year’s Match Chat showed us the value of AI assistants trained in specific domains. But similar assistants could support fans on-site, coaches, players, or even journalists.

We’re also exploring extracting more data from video — things like racket speed, ball spin, and movement analysis — potentially without physical sensors. That opens up exciting possibilities. Going forward, it’s about combining fan feedback with new data inputs to continuously push innovation.

In sports, emotion is everything. How do you maintain the human touch while using AI and data?

It’s a great point. At the heart of all this is sport itself — the emotion, unpredictability, human drama.

For example, our Live Likelihood to Win feature is designed to complement, not replace, the match action. You can’t replace the insights or emotion from human commentators, especially former players. What we create — highlight reels, AI summaries — simply help scale the storytelling across 18 courts and untold matches that don’t always get screen time.AI will never replace the emotion of sport. It’s about helping people connect with those emotions more often and more deeply, not replacing them.