The all-new professional cricket league in the United States (US), the Major League Cricket (MLC) has inked a five-year broadcast rights partnership with Willow TV in the United States and Canada.
To give a label to this partnership, Willow TV has been named the North American broadcast partner of the MLC.
The revolutionary T20 franchise competition, in which many of the best cricketers from across the world compete for the first time in the United States, is now available on Willow TV owing to a multi-year media rights arrangement. With a 30-camera setup for the games at Grand Prairie Stadium in North Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina, the coverage on Willow TV will have a top-notch production.
Seattle Orcas, MI New York, Texas Super Kings, Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns and Los Angeles Knight Riders are the six teams that will take part in the MLC’s inaugural season, which runs from July 13 to July 30.
Willow TV, the dominant cricket broadcaster in North America for nearly two decades, owns International Cricket Council (ICC) broadcast and digital rights, encompassing men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments, as well as renowned global cricket events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Ashes.
Willow TV, established in 2003 by MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, was taken over in 2016 by the Times of India (TOI) Group, India’s and South Asia’s largest publishing firm.
Vijay Srinivasan, Co-founder, Major League Cricket, said, “American cricket fans have been watching the best cricketers in the globe on Willow TV for two decades, and now they can follow the same type of world class action happening here in the United States live on Willow TV. We are thrilled to partner with Willow TV over a long-term agreement that will showcase the world’s best players taking part in America’s transformative T20 competition.”
Satyan Gajwani, Vice-Chairman of Times Internet, said, “Willow TV is the long-time home for cricket in North America. We are thrilled to add Major League Cricket to our portfolio of world class events and provide fans with the chance to watch T20 franchise action taking place in the United States featuring T20 cricket superstars that Willow subscribers love to watch.”