Nexxen, the advertising technology platform powered by unique data and media, today (9th April, 2026) launched a new predictions report on UK viewership of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leveraging Nexxen’s proprietary data and resources to track past, present, and future audience behaviour.

Through data-driven forecasts based on historical trends as well as current analysis, the report offers advertisers directional insights into how, and where, fans in the UK will be watching and engaging, helping guide planning in a fragmented media environment. 

Just as it did in the US, the UK report highlights a key reality for marketers: World Cup audiences remain strong, but viewing is increasingly splintering across linear and streaming environments.  

Specifically, it identifies several shifts for which advertisers in the UK should be planning, including: 

• 24% of viewers plan to blend traditional TV and streaming – a 14% increase from 2022 – as audiences shift between devices and services 
• 89% of UK fans still plan to watch matches on television, underscoring the continued dominance of the big screen for live sports moments 
• 85% of UK viewers say they will continue watching matches even if the team they support is eliminated, indicating that interest is increasingly sustained by the scale and momentum of the tournament itself 
• 49% of viewers plan to watch most or all matches live, while highlights, analysis and other non-live content are expected to extend engagement before and after kick-off

Nexxen's report also highlights widespread confusion about where matches will air. While the BBC and ITV hold UK broadcasting rights, 77% of viewers incorrectly named at least one platform they believe will carry matches, illustrating how fragmented distribution and streaming habits can create uncertainty around viewing access. 

Through Nexxen’s unified platform – spanning a supply-side platform (SSP) and demand-side platform (DSP), with the Nexxen Data platform at its core – as well as solutions like Nexxen Sports, advertisers can activate these insights to reach and engage fans, even as viewing habits shift. This includes first-to-market, programmatic access to Nexxen TV Home Screen, native Smart TV units enabling brands to connect with viewers at the moment of content discovery – before kick-off or post-game analysis begins – on one of the most prominent environments in the living room.

The report combines data from Nexxen Discovery, the company’s proprietary planning and insights tool that tracks audience behaviour across screens, with analysis of historical viewing patterns and consumer surveys of more than 1,000+ UK adults who intend to watch the tournament. Nexxen’s full 2026 FIFA World Cup UK Outlook report is available now.

Nexxen

Nexxen empowers advertisers, agencies, publishers, and broadcasters around the world to utilise video and Connected TV in the ways that are most meaningful to them. Comprised of a demand-side platform (DSP), supply-side platform (SSP), ad server, and...

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