When Argentina and France met in 2022’s global soccer tournament final in Qatar, it was a moment of worldwide fascination. Nearly 1.5 billion people tuned in, while about 5 billion engaged with tournament-related content across platforms and devices.
These days, that kind of shared focus on a single event is rare. But when these moments happen, they are invaluable for marketers. That’s when CTV advertising becomes a powerful force.
Capturing a Shifting Audience
The extraordinary attention on the 2026 world soccer tournament is a reminder that live sports and cultural events still have the power to unite the world at a massive scale. But today, the way audiences experience those “everybody’s watching” moments has changed.
How Fans Are Watching Major Events Differently in 2026
Fans are no longer gathered around one television or watching one channel. They’re streaming matches, watching highlights, following commentary online, sharing reactions and shifting fluidly between screens before, during and after the event.
CTV advertising brings the emotional and cultural impact of big moments into a more measurable media environment. Taking advantage of the streaming TV ad space allows brands to show up on the biggest screen in a home while delivering the granular targeting and performance insights associated with digital campaigns.
During high-attention moments like the Olympics, major tournaments, awards shows or other events, that combination makes a huge difference. The opportunity isn’t just the chance to run an ad. CTV advertising lets brands align with the energy and excitement of the moment:
- A travel brand can reach households inspired by exotic, international locales.
- A financial services company can talk to families about planning for the next big adventure.
- A brick-and-mortar retailer can drive viewers to watch parties or event-connected shopping.
- A B2B brand can build awareness with decision-makers while they are excited and highly engaged.
CTV vs. Fragmentation
CTV also helps solve one of the biggest challenges facing modern campaigns: audience fragmentation.
As the shift from cable to streaming accelerates, advertisers need a way to reach people wherever they’re watching, without relying solely on demographic guesswork.
Smarter Targeting Beyond Demographics
One of the biggest benefits of CTV advertising campaigns is that they can be planned with smarter audience segments, controlled frequency, geographic targeting and cross-channel measurement. That helps brands avoid wasted spend while still benefiting from the massive scale of major events.
The data supports the shift. Digital video now captures nearly 60% of total TV/video ad spend, and CTV advertising spending continues to grow as live sports and streaming inventory expand. Streaming already represents a major share of total TV time, and marketers are boosting CTV investment because of the continuing audience realignment.
mhp.si and CTV Advertising: Made for Big Moments
Before, During, and After: the Full-Funnel CTV Strategy
For companies, the message is clear: global attention moments shouldn’t be treated like a one-day or even one-week media event. They should be planned as full-funnel opportunities, with messaging before anticipation peaks, during the event itself and afterward as the conversation continues.
At mhp.si, our CTV approach was built for these moments. Through access to premium programmatic TV inventory, Google DV360, household identity targeting, Doppio® audience intelligence and deep-dive reporting, we’re able to fully harness the power of connected TV for brands. We help clients develop a full-funnel CTV strategy to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time, even if that audience is in the millions or billions.
Like lightning in a bottle, the next major sporting event or global cultural moment will capture a massive share of the world’s attention. With a CTV advertising strategy from mhp.si, you’ll be ready to capture that attention, too.