Willow by Cricbuzz brings a host of updates for 2026 cricket season

Willow by Cricbuzz, the destination for live, streaming, and on-demand cricket in the US and Canada, today announces a host of exciting updates to kick off the 2026 cricket season, starting with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, taking place February 7 through March 8.

Willow has entered into a partnership with YouTube, allowing fans to watch all four Team USA matches of the ICC T20 World Cup for free on YouTube. This will be the first time ever that ICC World Cup matches will be available for consumers across the US and Canada for free, on the largest global video platform. The Team USA matches will also be available for free for consumers on Willow and Cricbuzz.

Beyond the four USA matches, all the ICC T20 World Cup matches will be available on Willow's linear channel in the YouTube TV "NFL RedZone with Sports Plus" package and via Willow's Primetime Channels service accessible from the Willow YouTube channel.

Willow by Cricbuzz is also rolling out an all-new product experience across its website, mobile apps and connected TV apps, built to be faster, deliver higher-quality video, and make it simpler for fans to access live matches, replays and highlights.

"The ICC Men's T20 World Cup gives fans a chance to experience cricket at a true breakout moment in the U.S.," said Todd Myers, Chief Operating Officer of Willow by Cricbuzz. "More than a decade ago, major ICC World Cup matches in the U.S. required USD 100-plus pay-per-view access. We helped bring the sport into an affordable monthly subscription, and now we are taking the next step by offering free access to some of the most anticipated matches of the year, alongside new creator-led programming and a viewing experience built for how fans engage with the game today.

"We're thrilled to partner with Willow by Cricbuzz to bring T20 World Cup USA cricket matches to YouTube for free, enabling our large audience of passionate sports fans the ability to engage with both the main livestream and an alternative creator-led livestream featuring Jomboy Media", said Marc Hatfield, Partnerships Manager at YouTube.

For the first time, Willow by Cricbuzz is introducing a creator-led alternate telecast for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, offering fans a bold new way to experience two of the tournament's biggest matchups. Produced in partnership with Jomboy Media, the alternate telecast will be available for USA vs. India and USA vs. Pakistan and will feature a more conversational, personality-driven approach that blends live reaction, storytelling and expert cricket perspective alongside the traditional broadcast.

The alternate telecast will feature Jimmy "Jomboy" O'Brien, former England international and 2019 Cricket World Cup champion Liam Plunkett and analyst and content creator Adam Bannon, bringing a mix of humor, insight and real-time reaction to some of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.

Founded in 2017 in New York, Jomboy Media is an industry-leading U.S. baseball media brand with viral breakdowns, top-ranked podcasts (Talkin' Yanks, Talkin'Baseball), billions of views and MLB's 2025 minority investment. Jimmy O'Brien's passion for cricket-ignited in recent years and amplified by his commentary role at the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup-has fueled the company's growing traction in the sport, including the That's Cricket podcast and YouTube channel (with Plunkett and Bannon), beginner guides and cross-sport content that bridges baseball fans to cricket.

Fans can watch the alternate telecast on Jomboy Media's YouTube channel, which reaches more than 2 million subscribers, as well as Willow's YouTube channel and across Willow by Cricbuzz's website, mobile and connected TV apps.

Cricket's U.S. footprint continues to expand, fueled by a growing diaspora audience, increased domestic participation and heightened mainstream visibility ahead of cricket's return to the Olympic Games at LA28. Willow by Cricbuzz's World Cup coverage is designed to reflect that momentum by combining premium television distribution with free digital access and new programming formats aimed at attracting both dedicated fans and new audiences.

As part of its World Cup coverage, Willow by Cricbuzz will make all four guaranteed USA matches widely available across a mix of premium and free platforms in North America.

The USA matches - against India (February 7, 8:30 a.m. ET), Pakistan (February 10, 8:30 a.m. ET), the Netherlands (February 13, 8:30 a.m. ET) and Namibia (February 15, 4:30 a.m. ET) - will be distributed across:

Across the full tournament, all 55 matches of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be available in English on Willow TV and the Willow website and apps, with Hindi-language coverage available on Willow 2.

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