Times Internet has acquired Willow TV International, a cricket broadcaster in the US.
Willow is one of the fastest growing sports networks in the U.S, featuring cricket matches and events. Willow is the only channel that is dedicated to cricket in the US, with an aligned direct-to-consumer digital service.
For Times Internet, Willow is complementary with its recent acquisition of Cricbuzz, a cricket destination. Last year, during the ICC World Cup 2015, Cricbuzz saw over 1 billion visits in a span of 40 days, 96% on mobile, said the company.
Willow is the first international acquisition by Times Internet and the first US acquisition for The Times of India Group.
Starting on March 8th, Willow will exclusively provide a live US television broadcast and live stream of the ICC World Twenty20, the world’s premier Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Vijay Srinivasan, founder and CEO of Willow TV, said: “As a bootstrapped company, we launched the Willow cricket channel just over 5 years ago, and we’re extremely proud of where it has reached. With the backing of The Times of India Group and its assets, I’m confident that we can jointly build one of the premier sports businesses in the US.”
