World Cup streaming boosts Freely viewing
July 21, 2026 08.59 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Everyone TV says the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a significant increase in broadband viewing, as UK audiences continued to shift towards internet-delivered live television.

Citing BARB data, the operator of Freely, Freeview and Freesat said the share of viewing from broadband-only homes for England’s group-stage matches was more than four times higher than during the 2022 World Cup.

The tournament also delivered several milestones for Freely, which passed two million monthly active users during the competition and recorded its biggest viewing day since launch. Everyone TV said the proportion of users returning to the platform daily had also increased compared with last year.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said: “Major sporting events like the World Cup bring millions of people together for a shared live viewing experience. As one of the UK’s biggest TV events, it offers a clear picture of how audiences are choosing to watch.

“Compared with 2022, significantly more viewing took place over the internet, highlighting the growing role of broadband in delivering free television and the changing ways audiences are watching live TV.”

The figures sit alongside strong digital performances from the BBC and ITV, which shared UK free-to-air coverage of the tournament. BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski said 42.8 million people watched BBC live match coverage on television or streamed games through iPlayer, the BBC Sport app and website, generating 237 million streams. BBC coverage of England v Argentina in the semi-final reached 24 million, while England’s late-night win over Mexico drew 9.1 million despite running into the early hours.

ITV also reported record streaming demand during the tournament. ITVX recorded 468 million streams in June, its strongest month to date, with 21 million users. ITV said live football was the main driver, with 16 of its top 20 live-streamed audiences of the year coming from World Cup matches during the group stage. Its coverage of England v Croatia peaked at 16.4 million viewers, ITV’s highest audience of the year.

Everyone TV is backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and has positioned Freely as the long-term successor platform for free TV as viewing moves from aerial and satellite reception to broadband. The company has previously said it wants Freely to become the UK’s largest TV device platform by 2030.