Willow TV VPPA Settlement: Claims Closed, Hearing Oct 22, 2026

At a glance

Status

Pending final approval

Defendant

Times Internet (UK) Ltd. (Willow TV)

Settlement fund

$850,000

Claim deadline

July 21, 2026

No-proof cash option

Yes — pro-rata share of the Net Settlement Fund (claim form signed under penalty of perjury; no receipt/proof required)

Estimated payout

pro-rata share of the Net Settlement Fund (claim form signed under penalty of perjury; no receipt/proof required)

Official site

willowtvvppasettlement.com

Court

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Case number

4:23-cv-03594-HSG

Last verified October 19, 2026

Key dates

Milestone	Date	What it means
Claim deadline	July 21, 2026(passed)	Last day to file for a payment
Opt-out (exclusion) deadline	July 21, 2026(passed)	Last day to leave the settlement and keep the right to sue
Objection deadline	July 21, 2026(passed)	Last day to object to the terms
Final approval hearing	October 22, 2026(passed)	When the judge decides whether to approve the settlement
Expected payout	Not yet scheduled	Payments are not sent until after final approval and any appeals

Where to file

The only place to file is the official settlement website:

Verify on the official site

willowtvvppasettlement.com

Filing is free. No legitimate settlement charges a fee to file a claim.

You cannot file on RecordingLaw.com. We are an independent publisher, not the settlement administrator, and we are not affiliated with any court, agency, or defendant.

If you subscribed to Willow TV and watched cricket or other pre-recorded video there between mid-2021 and late 2023, you may be part of a class-action settlement over a video-privacy claim, not a data breach. The claim deadline was July 21, 2026, and it has passed. There is no second window to ask for money from this fund.

What the Lawsuit Against Willow TV Actually Claims

The case is Kishore v. Times Internet (UK) Ltd., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, case number 4:23-cv-03594-HSG. Times Internet (UK) Ltd. operates Willow TV, a subscription streaming service built around cricket and other sports programming.

This is not a data breach. Nobody is alleging that hackers stole Willow TV subscriber data. Instead, the lawsuit invokes the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), a federal law that restricts video service providers from disclosing information tying a specific person to the video content they watched, without that person's consent. The complaint also pleaded claims under California law, and the settlement's release covers those claims too.

The complaint alleges Willow TV shared or made accessible subscribers' video-viewing information with third parties without the consent the VPPA requires. Times Internet denies the allegations and denies any wrongdoing. The parties reached a settlement before the case went to trial, so there has been no court ruling on whether the claims were true.

Where the Case Stands Right Now

As of September 9, 2026, the settlement has preliminary court approval and the claims-filing window has closed. The final approval hearing, where a judge decides whether to sign off on the deal permanently, has been reset to October 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time, according to a notice posted on the official settlement site.

That gap is normal. Claims periods in class-action settlements typically close well before the final hearing, so the court has firm numbers on how many people actually filed before deciding whether the deal is fair. It also meant one thing for class members specifically: nobody had to wait for final approval to file. The claims deadline of July 21, 2026 came first, and it was the one that decided whether a class member gets paid at all.

Who Is Covered by the Settlement Class

The class is defined narrowly. It covers people who subscribed to Willow TV and watched pre-recorded videos on Willow.tv between July 20, 2021 and September 22, 2023. The settlement estimates roughly 75,830 people fit that description.

If you only watched live streams, or you used the service outside that window, you may fall outside the class as defined. The official claim form is the authoritative place to check your specific situation; RecordingLaw.com cannot look up individual eligibility.

How Much You Could Actually Get

There is no fixed dollar figure attached to this settlement. The $850,000 fund is divided pro rata, meaning each valid claim receives a share calculated after the number of people who actually filed is known. That number moves in both directions: fewer claimants means a bigger slice for each, more claimants means a smaller one.

Nobody can tell you your exact payout before the claims window closes and the math is run. Treat the fund total as a ceiling on what is possible across the whole class, not a promise of what any one person receives. Most class members in pro-rata settlements like this end up with a modest amount, not a windfall.

What You Need to File a Claim

The claim form does not require receipts, screenshots, or proof of a subscription. You sign it under penalty of perjury attesting that you meet the class definition described above, which is the mechanism this settlement uses instead of documentation.

That makes filing simple, but it also means you should only file if you genuinely fit the class description. Signing a false claim under penalty of perjury carries its own legal risk, separate from whatever the settlement pays out.

How to File, and What Happens If You Do Nothing

Filing was handled entirely through the official case website, which is also where the administrator posts hearing and payment updates. RecordingLaw.com is an independent publisher, not the court, not the settlement administrator, and not a party to the case, and cannot take or process claims on your behalf.

If you did not file by July 21, 2026, you will not receive a payment from this fund. If the court grants final approval, you will be bound by the settlement's release of claims against Times Internet unless you separately excluded yourself by the same date, meaning you will give up the right to sue over this same conduct later.

Opting Out vs. Objecting: They Are Not the Same Thing

A class member who wanted no part of this settlement, and wanted to preserve the right to sue Times Internet separately over the same conduct, had to exclude themselves, also called opting out, by July 21, 2026. That date has passed. Excluding yourself is different from objecting, where you stay in the class, remain eligible for a payment, but tell the judge in writing why you think the deal is unfair.

You cannot do both. Opting out means you get nothing from this fund and give up your say in whether the court approves it. Objecting means you stay in and accept whatever the court ultimately decides, for better or worse.

If You Just Found Out About This Case

Because the class period ended in September 2023 and the case is only settling now, some eligible subscribers may not remember getting a notice, or may be learning about this settlement for the first time today. The deadline treated everyone the same regardless of when they first heard about it. It was July 21, 2026, and it has passed, so no one can be paid from this fund now, no matter when they learned it existed.

For other open settlements in this area, see our data breach and privacy settlement tracker. For background on the broader legal framework, see our overview of U.S. data privacy law.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Willow TV VPPA Settlement?

It is a proposed class-action settlement in Kishore v. Times Internet (UK) Ltd., No. 4:23-cv-03594-HSG, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It resolves claims that Times Internet, which operates the Willow TV streaming service, shared subscribers' video-viewing information with third parties without the consent required under the Video Privacy Protection Act, along with related claims under California law. Times Internet denies wrongdoing, and settling the case is not a finding of liability.

Is this a data breach settlement?

No. Nobody is alleging Willow TV was hacked or that data was stolen. The claims are brought under the VPPA, a federal privacy law that limits how a video provider may disclose what a subscriber watched and who it may share that information with, and under California law.

Who is included in the settlement class?

The class covers people who subscribed to Willow TV and watched pre-recorded videos on Willow.tv between July 20, 2021 and September 22, 2023, an estimated 75,830 people. If you did not use the service during that window, you likely fall outside the class as defined.

How much is the Willow TV VPPA settlement worth?

The total fund is $850,000, but individual payouts are not fixed. Each valid claim gets a pro-rata share of the fund, so the per-person amount depends on how many people file before the deadline and is not known in advance.

Do I need a receipt or proof to file a claim?

No. The claim form does not require documentation. You sign it under penalty of perjury confirming you meet the class definition, which substitutes for proof of purchase or a subscription record.

What is the deadline to file a claim?

The deadline to file a claim, exclude yourself from the class, or object to the settlement was July 21, 2026, all on the same date, and it has passed. There is no later window.

What is the difference between opting out and objecting?

Opting out (excluding yourself) means you leave the class, keep your right to sue Times Internet on your own over the same claims, and get nothing from this settlement fund. Objecting means you stay in the class, remain eligible for a payment, but tell the court in writing that you think part of the deal is unfair. You cannot do both.

When will payments actually go out?

No payment date has been set. The final approval hearing, where the court decides whether to approve the settlement permanently, was reset to October 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time, and payments generally follow final approval. As of September 9, 2026, there is no confirmed payout date.

What happens if I miss the July 21, 2026 deadline?

That date has passed, so you will not receive a payment from this fund. Unless you separately excluded yourself by the same date, you will be bound by the settlement's release of claims against Times Internet once the court grants final approval, meaning you give up the ability to sue over this same conduct later even though you were not paid.