Willow by Cricbuzz is a sports streaming app for US and Canadian cricket fans, providing live match broadcasts and on-demand replays.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#101
▲86Sports · free
Sentiment
2.8
12k reviews
Nemesis
ESPN: Live Sports & Scores
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire Willow to access exclusive international cricket content that is otherwise unavailable on generalist sports platforms, serving the need for niche live-event coverage.
For Cricket fans in the US and Canada seeking live coverage of international tournaments and T20 leagues.
What does it look like?
Key features
Full HD live broadcast of international cricket matches and T20 leagues
Real-time scorecards and stats displayed during live matches
Authentication via existing satellite, cable, or IPTV provider credentials
How much does it cost?
Subscription model anchored by exclusive live sports rights, with monetization gated behind premium access for high-definition live content.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentperformanceopaqueShow more...
The app has released only two updates in the last two months, resulting in a cadence of approximately 0.25 releases per week, which falls into the maintenance tier. Both recent updates provided only generic bug fixes and product improvements with no evidence of new features or live operations. Development appears focused exclusively on stability and maintenance rather than active feature expansion. The publisher is currently providing opaque release notes, offering no insight into specific technical or functional changes.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
The recent review mood reads upset. Users appreciate hindi commentary and expanded device support provide a better viewing experience for regional cricket fans, but report intrusive and repetitive advertisements persist even for users who have paid for a premium subscription.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Hindi commentary and expanded device support provide a better viewing experience for regional cricket fans
- Intrusive and repetitive advertisements persist even for users who have paid for a premium subscription
120 of 198 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Upset overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 more frustration theme and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Willow - Watch Live Cricket
How's the Sports market?
Willow sits #20 Grossing in the US Sports category, with a #5 Grossing rank in Canada. The disparity between its niche content exclusivity and the low 2.68 average rating signals that technical instability is actively suppressing the monetization of its premium subscriber base.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Disney
Dominates the sports media landscape with a massive, multi-sport content ecosystem that dwarfs niche cricket-only platforms.
- Aggregates news and scores across all major global sports, creating a daily habit-forming loop.
- Leverages Disney’s massive broadcast rights to provide integrated live streaming alongside real-time editorial coverage.
Unlock the deeper market read.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Willow - Watch Live Cricket
Where is it heading?
The US cricket streaming market is consolidating, and Willow's technical instability leaves it exposed to rivals with higher production values. Unless the team addresses the streaming crashes and ad-delivery failures, the platform will continue to lose high-intent subscribers to more reliable sports media alternatives.
- Frequent streaming crashes in the latest update erode the daily active habit, which compounds the rating drag already visible on Android.
- Persistent ad-delivery errors for premium subscribers trigger refund requests, directly compressing the lifetime value of the core user base.
The SWOT
- Exclusive live sports rights provide a clear B2B distribution barrier into the US cricket-fan segment
- Implementation of a spoiler-free mode for replays would capture the high-intent segment currently alienated by home-screen score spoilers
Next best moves
Audit ad-delivery logic to ensure premium subscribers receive the ad-free experience promised
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's reliance on legacy TV provider logins…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time betting odds integration (available in theScore but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The platform has transitioned into a maintenance-only development cycle while facing increased user churn due to persistent technical instability and ad-delivery failures.
Bottom line
Willow holds its category lead through exclusive rights but bleeds subscribers to technical instability and ad-delivery failures, so revenue growth hinges on stabilizing the stream and honoring the ad-free premium promise.
Unlock 1 critical friction, 1 market threat, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
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