Willow (TV channel)

WILLOW (Willow Cricket, Willow Xtra and Willow Canada) is an American pay television sports channel which is completely devoted to airing overseas cricket events, including live and recorded matches and other cricket-related programming in English, with the majority of its advertising targeted towards the Indian subcontinent diaspora in North America. The network is carried both as a traditional subscription-television channel which airs on pay-TV providers, and a paid streaming service available online.

Willow
CountryUnited States and Canada
HeadquartersBCCL Worldwide Inc. Redwood City, CA
Programming
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerTimes Internet
History
LaunchedAugust 27, 2010
Links
Websitewillow.tv

The network was launched in the U.S. on August 27, 2010, and in Canada on May 14, 2019. The channel merged with NEO Cricket's American network in February 2013 as that provider drew down their American operations with the Willow name remaining.[1] Times Internet, part of The Times Group, bought the service in 2016.

Willow has operated an Internet portal for live streaming of cricket events at www.willow.tv since 2003 for a monthly subscription fee. Willow has driven various innovations in the coverage of cricket, like video-based live scorecards and editorials. The website provides subscribers with video streams available on mobile apps and a streaming feed. A dedicated app for Willow was added for Apple TV on June 24, 2014.[2] TV Everywhere access to the network's live feed on most devices was added for subscribers to pay-TV services, in time for IPL 11.

Willow has been the subject of complaints about its billing practices, including making it impossible to unsubscribe through the website or app, and ignoring repeated emails requesting cancellations.[3] They have since made it possible to unsubscribe through their website.

Match rights

Willow holds the rights to some of the matches of the following teams and leagues:

National teams

ICC Events

ICC Events 2015–2023
ICC major global events
ICC qualifying events
Other ICC events

League and other competitions

Former rights

References
  1. "Neo sells broadcasting biz in US to Willow TV". IndianTelevision.com. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  2. Kahn, Jordan (24 June 2014). "Apple TV adds ABC News, AOL On, PBS Kids, Willow TV, and redesigned Flickr app". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  3. "Willow TV International, Inc. | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  4. "Times Internet acquires BCCI broadcast rights". The Times of India. 2023-09-29. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  5. Ray, Siladitya. "Broadcast Rights For India's Top Cricket League Sell For $6.2 Billion, Value Per Game Second Only To NFL". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  6. https://www.majorleaguecricket.com/minorleaguecricket"Minor League Cricket forms a crucial pathway for all players to be selected in Major League Cricket starting in 2021. We know US cricket fans are hungry for high-quality cricket – regular season games will be live streamed, with the playoffs to be broadcast live into over 4 million homes courtesy of Willow TV."
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