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Jun 11, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

ITV says World Cup will be 'six-week Super Bowl' for advertising

AI Summary
ITV has said that the World Cup will be the most lucrative sports event it has ever aired, with advertising revenues running 30% higher than the last big football tournament, Euro 2024. The broadcaster is airing 51 of the 104 matches across the men's tournament and has sold packages to 220 different advertisers.

The World Cup Advertising Boom

ITV has described the World Cup as a 'six-week summer Super Bowl moment' for TV advertising, with the broadcaster expecting to air 51 of the 104 matches across the men's tournament. The event, co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, is the biggest yet after an expansion from 32 to 48 teams.

Advertising Revenue Surge

Kelly Williams, the managing director of commercial at ITV, told the Guardian that its advertising revenues are running about 30% higher than it took from the last big football tournament, Euro 2024, when England reached the final. The broadcaster began selling commercial packages for the World Cup last autumn, with Google taking the headline sponsorship to promote its Gemini and Pixel products.

Advertiser Interest

  • ITV has sold packages to 220 different advertisers, with 70 of those running TV ads in football coverage for the first time.
  • About eight advertisers are completely new to TV advertising.

High-Profile Ad Campaigns

One of the most high-profile ad campaigns is Nike's World Cup TV ad, which at six minutes will be the longest commercial ever aired on TV. The ad features superstar footballers and will air for the first time during England's opening match against Croatia.

The Impact of AI and Tech Companies

Williams added that one thing that 'stood out' among the range of advertisers for the tournament was the number of AI and tech companies booking ad slots. He said that as well as Google, there are ads running from Amazon Web Services, Apple, Dell, Microsoft's Copilot, and Meta.

The Future Outlook

ITV expects to see a boost from audiences watching England's progress, with the times of the group matches being more unsociable for Scotland's matches. The BBC has the rights to air the remaining World Cup matches in the UK and has opted to broadcast out of its studios in Salford, Manchester.