Nexxen sees fragmented Australian viewing for 2026 World Cup

Nexxen has released Australian forecasts on how audiences are expected to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, pointing to a more fragmented viewing market for advertisers.

The report indicates that football audiences in Australia are spreading their viewing across linear television, broadcaster video on demand, streaming services and mobile devices, even as overall interest in the tournament grows. It draws on historical viewing trends, current analysis and a survey of more than 1,000 Australian adults intending to watch the competition.

One of the clearest findings is that 31% of viewers plan to combine linear TV and BVOD to follow the World Cup. That suggests advertisers will need to account for audiences moving between broadcast and digital environments during live sport, rather than relying on a single channel.

Television still holds the largest share of intended viewing. Nexxen found that 88% of viewers plan to watch matches on TV, rising to 91% for weekday evening fixtures and 93% for weekend matches. The figures reinforce the importance of the big screen for major sporting events.

Device choice shifts during daytime viewing, when time-zone differences are more likely to push matches outside traditional prime time. Among those planning to watch during the day, 43% expect to use mobile phones or laptops.

Audience commitment also appears less tied to the performance of the national side than in previous tournaments. The data shows 79% of intended viewers would continue watching even if Australia is eliminated, up 11 percentage points from the 2022 tournament.

Planning shifts

The findings come as brands and media agencies reassess how to buy around live sport in a market where connected television, on-demand services and digital video compete alongside traditional broadcast schedules. For media buyers, the challenge is no longer only where audiences gather in the largest numbers, but how they split across screens at different times of day.

The Australian findings mirror patterns identified in similar reports in the United States, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In each case, interest in football has remained strong while viewing habits have become more dispersed across platforms.

Nexxen presents the report as a planning tool for advertisers seeking a clearer view of where World Cup audiences are likely to be. It combines information from Nexxen Discovery, its audience planning and insights product, with survey data and analysis of earlier viewing behaviour.

Nexxen operates across the advertising market through a demand-side platform, a supply-side platform and a data business. It says advertisers can apply those insights through its connected TV products, including placements on smart television home screens aimed at reaching viewers before a match starts or after coverage ends.

Market context

The Australian data underlines a familiar tension for broadcasters and advertisers. Large live sport still draws mass audiences to television, but the path to those audiences is less straightforward than it was in earlier tournaments, when linear broadcast dominated and second-screen viewing played a smaller role.

That fragmentation can affect campaign planning, measurement and frequency control. A viewer may watch one match live on a television set, highlights on a broadcaster app and related content on a mobile device, making it harder for advertisers to build a consistent picture of reach without cross-platform data.

For rights holders and media sellers, the results suggest traditional television remains central but is not sufficient on its own. The high share of intended TV viewing keeps broadcast inventory important, yet the overlap with BVOD, streaming and mobile points to a broader mix of inventory around the tournament.

Australia's time zone adds another layer to the picture. When matches fall during the day for local viewers, mobile and laptop use rises, potentially shifting the balance of ad spending between living-room viewing and more personal devices.

The report stops short of forecasting exact audience sizes for individual matches, but it points to a broader shift in how fans expect to consume the tournament. For advertisers, that means planning for a World Cup audience that is both growing and increasingly split across several screens, with 79% of viewers expecting to keep watching even if Australia is knocked out.