Dive Brief:
- Fox One, the Fox Corporation’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, launched a new campaign titled “The FIFA World Cup Comes First,” per details shared with Marketing Dive. Fox One will stream all 104 matches in the tournament.
- Creative developed in partnership with Anomaly plays up the lengths fans will go to watch the World Cup in four 30-second spots that show characters including a lifeguard and a driving instructor catching a match on Fox One while neglecting their duties.
- The streaming-focused campaign comes as most weekday matches start during U.S. working hours. It will run across connected TV, online video, paid social and out-of-home in New York and Los Angeles.
Dive Insight:
Fox One is positioning itself as the home of the World Cup with its new campaign, which uses absurd humor to tap into the lengths soccer fanatics will go to watch the tournament. The need for a one-stop shop on streaming comes as most weekday matches will start during U.S. working hours — an insight that drives creative in “The FIFA World Cup Comes First” spots.
The campaign’s focus on fandom echoes the new approach of Fox Advertising, which recently launched a new brand platform that brought together its portfolio under the tagline “Turn Passion into Performance.” In May, fandom was a theme of nearly every upfront presentation, where media companies make their pitches to advertisers.
“The World Cup isn’t a passive experience for the fans, and so we set out to market the dynamic, real-time viewing experience that only Fox One can deliver,” said Brian Borkowski, CMO of Fox Direct to Consumer, in a statement. “This campaign reflects the intensity, obsession, and community that define modern soccer fandom, while showing how the platform was built to elevate every moment of the tournament experience.”
The 30-second spots feature scenarios that show folks watching Fox One on smartphones and tablets when they should be paying attention to work: a driving instructor lets his student wreak havoc on a street, a lifeguard ignores a drowning man, office assistants gather in bathroom stalls and a snake handler lets his snakes slither free during a kid's birthday party. The spots are soundtracked by Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
Fox One will air all 104 World Cup matches live and in 4K with multiview options, key replays and more. The service launched in August 2025 and offers the media company’s full news, sports and entertainment programming for $19.99 a month. Fox saw distribution revenue grew 3% during Q3 2026, with Fox One's new subscriber additions and retention both outperforming expectations, per an earnings call. Fox One plays in a crowded landscape that features legacy media company offerings like Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock and Paramount+, alongside key companies Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
“In a category full of platforms talking about access and content libraries, why not reflect who Fox One truly is - the one service that actually understands soccer fans,” said Josh Fell, partner and chief creative officer at Anomaly LA, in a statement.
Major marketers across alcohol, beverage, snacks and retail categories have rolled out campaigns ahead of the World Cup, which begins on June 11. Fox One’s focus on workday viewing comes as alcohol brands have made on-premise pushes part of their campaigns. Stella Artois is covering up to $100,000 in bar tabs for those who work from bars during weekday World Cup matches, 86% of which take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in at least one of the mainland U.S. four time zones.
