Cricket Hong Kong hopes Accenture and Australia tie-ups will help ensure future of Sixes and T20 Blitz

Cricket Hong Kong is hoping its new partnership with Cricket Australia and Accenture to boost digital content will help to re-establish the Hong Kong Sixes as a world-class event and attract long-term sponsors.

As digital and video partners, Accenture and Cricket Australia will deliver the first official Cricket Hong Kong mobile app, which will be available for free from October 27 on IOS and Android and provide fans inside and outside the ground with video on demand, exclusive interviews and the latest news about this weekend’s Sixes and next year’s Hong Kong T20 Blitz.

It’s part of CHK’s “Sixes 2.0” vision and director Jonathan Cummings said the strategic tie-ups are all about ensuring the long-term future of the Sixes, which is being revived after a five-year hiatus because of a lack of sponsorship.

“This is just the first stage,” said Cummings. “We talked before about taking the first step on a path to a new level of content and innovation for Hong Kong cricket events.

“This will be taken even further for the next Blitz and again further for the 2018 Sixes. It helps to take us to new audiences and we hope to continue to build event by event.

“Our whole strategy is to build over the next three to five years and part of that is getting a long-term partner on board to help us fulfil our vision. This is just the first event.”

Fans at the Kowloon Cricket Club will also be able to make use of virtual reality cricket offerings, such as experiencing what it feels like to face a 150km fast bowler.

Accenture is a global professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Cricket Australia is the country’s governing body for the sport and has plenty of experience in providing value-added digital content for fans.

“Sport is unpredictable and continues to evolve, much like the expectations of cricket fans, so it’s important to constantly innovate to provide fans with the best experience possible by bringing them all of the action in the most exciting way,” said Accenture managing director James Kim.

Finn Bradshaw, head of digital at CA, said: “Our award-winning digital products have transformed the way Australian fans engage with cricket. We’re proud to be able to assist other cricket boards in growing the size and passion of their fan base with world-class digital experiences.”

The Hong Kong World Sixes will be held on October 28 and 29 at the Kowloon Cricket Club and will feature eight international teams.