MUMBAI: Willow TV, the primary broadcaster for cricket in North America, has acquired the exclusive media rights in the United States for the VIVO IPL 2017 Twenty20 tournament.

The IPL (Indian Premier League) is the world’s leading professional cricket tournament, with record-breaking fan attendance and multimedia consumption. Willow previously broadcast the IPL in 2014, at the time setting cricket viewership records in the United States.

“Willow is delighted to bring exclusive live coverage of the VIVO IPL 2017 to our viewers across television and digital platforms,” said Willow CEO Vijay Srinivasan. “Viewer interest for cricket in the US stands at unparalleled levels, as over 1.4 million households watched the ICC World Twenty20 on Willow in 2016. We look to continue to set new all-time high ratings this year. The IPL is the crown jewel of professional Twenty20 tournaments, and cricket fans in the US are in for a treat when the tournament kicks off on 5 April."

The 10th season of the VIVO IPL 2017 starts on 5 April with the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad against last year’s runner up Royal Challengers Bangalore. The tournament features 60 matches, played over 47 days in multiple venues across India. Willow will provide live coverage of all 60 matches, culminating with the final on 21 May.

Willow, which is part of Times Internet (India’s largest diversified digital group), is one of the fastest growing sports networks in the U.S, and the only channel that is dedicated solely to cricket. The channel, along with its “TV Everywhere” service, is distributed by the largest satellite, cable, IPTV and OTT platforms in a variety of subscription packages.