The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ has officially ignited a global football frenzy. ELTA TV and ELTA.tv, Taiwan’s exclusive broadcast rights holders for the FIFA World Cup™ for four consecutive tournaments, delivered impressive results in the opening week. Despite the time-zone challenges posed by this year’s co-hosts—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—strong viewership was driven by three key groups: loyal long-term subscribers, returning viewers rejoining the football excitement, and new users.
MOD Viewership Rises 40% Despite Time Difference, with Evening Replays Drawing Even Stronger Ratings
According to statistics, the average MOD viewership rating for the first eight live matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ rose 40.6% compared with the same period during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ (Note 1). Overall performance surpassed that of the previous tournament, successfully attracting a strong morning audience, while the channel’s total viewership also increased by 30% year on year.
In addition to the strong performance of the live broadcasts, evening replays also received enthusiastic support from football fans. Rebroadcasts of several marquee matches originally aired after midnight achieved ratings above 1.0 (Note 2), demonstrating that World Cup fever continues to build despite the time difference.
ELTA.tv User Growth Surges 4.5-Fold in Opening Week, App Tops Download Rankings
On the OTT front, ELTA.tv also recorded substantial subscription growth. During the opening week, the number of paid subscribers increased 4.5-fold compared with the week before the tournament (Note 3), while the annual subscription sales target was achieved within the very first week. ELTA’s newly launched mobile viewing app also ranked No. 1 on the download charts in both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
For devoted football fans, ELTA introduced an “extended ad-free version,” allowing viewers to tune in 80 minutes before kickoff to experience the atmosphere at the venue and enjoy more comprehensive match coverage. Its viewership repeatedly surpassed that of the standard broadcast, making it one of the key viewing highlights of ELTA’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
Social Media Buzz Reaches 80 Million Impressions as ELTA Fuels Another Wave of Football Fever
ELTA’s social media platforms have also been operating at full throttle. To date, World Cup-related videos and posts have generated more than 80 million views (Note 4), successfully fueling lively discussion among football fans.
From instant highlight clips of spectacular goals to short-form videos, a wide range of content has continued to gain traction across ELTA’s social channels. In particular, ELTA’s traditional post-match bonus segments from the commentary desk have become a major talking point. Because of the time difference, the on-air team has gone from late-night snacks to breakfast and even lunch boxes, keeping social media engagement high and further strengthening ELTA’s reputation as a leading sports broadcaster.
ELTA Takes Firm Stand on Copyright Protection, Detecting 1,800 Illegal Viewing Sources in Opening Week
In addition to strong viewership and subscription growth, ELTA has once again demonstrated its firm commitment to protecting legitimate broadcast rights and safeguarding the interests and confidence of its users, partners, and investors.
For this year’s FIFA World Cup™, ELTA established a 24-hour copyright enforcement task force and launched a dedicated infringement-reporting mailbox at fifareport@elta.com.tw. By combining internal monitoring systems with reports from vigilant football fans, the company is working to combat illegal streaming, pirated websites, infringing links on social media, and other forms of unauthorized viewing.
More than 1,800 cases of illegal viewing were identified during the opening week alone, marking a significant achievement in rights protection. ELTA emphasized that it will continue investing resources to fight copyright infringement, preserve a legitimate viewing environment, support the sustainable development of premium sports content, and ensure the best possible viewing experience for all fans who support authorized broadcasts.
Messi, Mbappé and Haaland Shine, Fueling Football Fever over the Dragon Boat Festival Holiday
The opening round of this year’s FIFA World Cup™ has delivered one surprise after another. Lionel Messi once again proved he has lost none of his brilliance by scoring a hat-trick, while rising superstars Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland continued to showcase their remarkable scoring efficiency.
Tournament favorite Spain was unexpectedly held to a shock draw, becoming a major global talking point. England’s 4–2 victory over formidable opponent Croatia, along with the thrilling draw between Japan and the Netherlands, also generated widespread discussion.
As the Dragon Boat Festival holiday begins on June 19, the FIFA World Cup™ will enter the more crucial second round of the group stage. Japan’s match at noon on June 21, scheduled in a prime viewing slot, along with upcoming appearances by traditional powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany, and Spain, is expected to drive viewership to another peak.
World-Class Tournament Coverage, Exclusively on ELTA.tv
Throughout the 39-day FIFA World Cup™ tournament, ELTA will deliver more than 1,500 hours of premium broadcast coverage (Note 5). In addition to football, ELTA also brings viewers many of the world’s most prestigious and best-known sporting events.
ELTA therefore remains optimistic that overall viewership, subscriptions, and advertising revenue will continue to grow rapidly. Building on the strong reputation established by its coverage of the Winter Olympics, the World Baseball Classic, and pet sporting events earlier this year, ELTA will continue accompanying sports fans across Taiwan as they witness every thrilling moment on football’s greatest stage.
Notes:
1. Comparison of MOD set-top box ratings for the first eight matches of the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cup™ tournaments.
2. According to MOD set-top box ratings, the evening replays of the Japan–Netherlands match, originally aired in the early hours of June 15, and the Argentina–Algeria match, originally aired on the morning of June 17, both achieved ratings above 1.0.
3. ELTA.tv’s online subscriber count during the opening week of the tournament (June 8–14) was 4.25 times that of the previous week (June 1–7).
4. During the opening week of the tournament (June 12–17), FIFA World Cup™-related content across the ELTA Sports Facebook network generated more than 65 million views, while total YouTube views reached 15 million.
5. During the tournament from June 12 to July 20, ELTA.tv will also offer live coverage of 10 Major League Baseball games every day, the first- and second-half regular seasons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Formula 1, the BWF World Tour, the WTT Series, the Wimbledon Championships, the Diamond League, and, as an added bonus, the Tour de France—providing more than 1,500 hours of live programming in total.
ELTA.tv FIFA World Cup™ Viewing Hub:
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https://eltaott.tv/fifa2026
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ELTA TV’s Anti-Piracy Reporting Email for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™:fifareport@elta.com.tw