June 2026 is a useful moment to take stock of the UK TV market. The short version is that TV is not standing still: live sport is doing what live sport always does, BVOD and connected TV are becoming more central to planning, and measurement is moving closer to how people actually watch.
World Cup demand is setting the tone
The clearest short-term signal is the FIFA World Cup. ITV is reportedly expecting its most commercially successful tournament, with strong advertiser demand around an expanded competition of 48 teams and 104 matches. The Guardian reported that ITV is airing 51 matches and that revenues are running around 30% above Euro 2024 levels.
For advertisers, the point is not simply that football is expensive. It is that mass live viewing still creates a type of attention that is hard to recreate elsewhere. The best plans are not built only around the biggest fixtures. They combine live airtime, sponsorship, highlights, broadcaster VOD, connected TV and tactical activity around the moments when audience interest is moving fastest.
BVOD and connected TV are now core planning channels
The TV market is increasingly a blend of linear reach and streamed broadcaster environments. Thinkbox’s latest viewing work shows that linear TV and BVOD combined still reach the vast majority of UK adults each week, while VOD is especially important for younger viewers. That makes the planning question less about linear versus digital and more about how to combine them properly.
Connected TV also matters because it lets advertisers use the big-screen environment with more flexible targeting and buying options. The opportunity is not to treat CTV as a cheap digital add-on. It works best when it is planned with the same discipline as TV: audience, context, creative quality, frequency and outcome all need to be joined up.
Broadcasters are making access easier
One of the more important structural shifts is broadcaster collaboration. Sky, Channel 4 and ITV announced their intention to launch a premium video advertising marketplace designed to let advertisers run a single campaign across their streaming and on-demand inventory. That is a meaningful signal for smaller and mid-sized advertisers who want access to premium TV environments without unnecessary complexity.
This does not remove the need for proper buying advice. Easier access can help more brands get on TV, but it can also make it easier to buy the wrong audience, at the wrong frequency, with the wrong creative. The buying platform is only part of the answer.
Measurement is catching up with viewing behaviour
BARB’s reporting continues to evolve, including the move to report viewing across both four-screen and TV-set definitions from late 2025, and its world-first reporting of TV-set viewing to selected YouTube channels. For planners, this matters because the TV set is no longer only a broadcast device. It is where broadcaster TV, subscription streaming, YouTube and other video services compete for attention.
The practical implication is simple: advertisers need to understand where attention is actually being delivered, not just where budget has historically been allocated.
What advertisers should do now
For the rest of 2026, advertisers should plan TV with more flexibility than usual. Live sport will create premium demand and price pressure. BVOD and connected TV will give brands more ways to reach specific audiences. Broader ad market forecasts still point to growth, with AA/WARC expecting UK ad spend to pass £50bn in 2026.
The brands that get the most from the market will be the ones that keep a clear balance: use linear TV where scale and shared attention matter, use BVOD and connected TV where targeting and incremental reach matter, and keep creative strong enough to justify the media investment.
In other words, the TV market in June 2026 is not weaker because it is more complicated. It is more useful, provided it is bought properly.
Sources: The Guardian on ITV World Cup advertising demand; Thinkbox TV Viewing Report 2025; BARB Monthly Viewing Summary; BARB YouTube TV-set reporting announcement; Sky, Channel 4 and ITV premium video marketplace announcement; AA/WARC Expenditure Report.
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