India’s largest digital network Times Internet saw its first international acquisition

In its first international acquisition, Times Internet, India’s largest digital network and part of The Times of India Group, acquired Willow TV International, a leading cricket broadcaster in the US.

For Times Internet, Willow is complementary with its recent acquisition of Cricbuzz, the world’s largest online 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. Between Willow, Cricbuzz, and Times of India’s digital assets, the group estimates reaching about 15 million Americans with an interest in cricket.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome Willow to The Times Group. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, and has the potential to become a major sport in the US. We’re excited to expand and strengthen our offerings for South Asians living in the US, and to grow interest in cricket across the US, both with loyal fans and new consumers,” said Satyan Gajwani, Director, Times Internet.

The timing of the deal is also significant. 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. This is the first time an ICC tournament has been available on a US television broadcast channel, expanding its reach beyond the traditional and expensive pay-per-view distribution method. In parallel, Cricbuzz will exclusively deliver pre-match, in-match, and post-match highlights and coverage of the entire tournament to US digital audiences. Willow and Cricbuzz will be the exclusive destinations for this premium content from the ICC World Twenty20tournament, available to millions of Americans across TV and digital.

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 am confident that we can jointly build one of the premier sports businesses in the US.”

Cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, and the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer. Cricket’s popularity worldwide has skyrocketed with the addition of the newer, faster Twenty20 format, where matches complete in a few hours.

Willow is one of the fastest growing sports networks in the U.S, featuring the world’s most popular cricket matches and events. Named after the English willow tree from which cricket bats are made, Willow is the only channel that is dedicated to cricket in the US, with an aligned direct-to-consumer digital service at www.willow.tv.

(Image credits: reuters)