41% of Japanese Consumers Plan to Watch This Summer's International Soccer Tournament — The Trade Desk Survey

The Trade Desk, a global ad technology company (headquartered in California, USA; CEO: Jeff Green), announced new survey results regarding media consumption trends in Japan during the upcoming international soccer tournament. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Appinio in October 2025 with 500 Japanese consumers, sheds light on how audiences plan to watch and experience this high-profile sports event.

Evolving Japanese Viewing Styles Due to Time Differences

The findings show that due to the significant time difference between Japan and North America, there is an accelerated shift toward 'hybrid' viewing behaviors, combining live streaming with on-demand (video streaming) and highlights.

Viewing Dispersed Across Multiple Platforms

Half of respondents (50.4%) consider this tournament one of the major sports events of 2026, and 41% of all respondents plan to watch the matches. Over 97% of those planning to watch stated, 'I will continue to check the tournament even if the Japan national team is knocked out early.'

Only 7.1% expect to watch all matches live, with the majority opting for a 'hybrid' model. Specifically, 43.5% replied, 'I will watch live as much as possible while also utilizing on-demand streaming,' and 17.1% said, 'I will mainly watch on-demand and live-stream only specific matches.'

Live viewing is not concentrated on a single platform; viewers are dispersed across various channels, including video streaming services such as CTV (Connected TV)/OTT (38%), sports streaming apps (15%), other online video platforms (11%), and user-generated content platforms (38%).

This trend of fragmentation is also seen in pre-match information gathering, with 41% starting to search for match-related information a few days prior, and 21.5% starting more than a week in advance.

Pre-match information gathering is widely dispersed across digital media, covering online content (33.7%), CTV/OTT (22.9%), other online video (16.6%), sports streaming apps (12.7%), and audio streaming (5.4%). This underscores the importance of multiple digital touchpoints in the initial stages when fan interest begins to build.

The Importance of Omnichannel Advertising Highlighted by Strong Purchase Intent

Such dispersed viewing behaviors are closely linked to high purchase intent. Specifically, more than half of respondents (54.1%) plan to buy snacks or food, and 32.9% expect to increase their grocery shopping to coincide with watching matches. There is also a high tendency for purchase intent regarding alcoholic beverages (41.8%) and other beverages (42.9%).

These results suggest that timely and relevant omnichannel messaging on the open internet in digital advertising can contribute to significant commercial impact during major sports events.

In Japan, sports advertising continues to contribute to strengthening brand building. One-third (33.3%) of respondents said, 'I trust brands that advertise during sports events more,' 31.4% consider those brands 'more reliable,' and 27.2% perceive them as 'more premium.' Furthermore, 44.2% stated, 'If it’s a team or league I support, I am more likely to notice brand ads shown before, during, or between match broadcasts,' and 20.8% said they are more likely to seek additional information after seeing such ads.

These results indicate that a TV-only or siloed single-platform approach is no longer sufficient. With audiences dispersed across TV, CTV/OTT, mobile apps, sports streaming apps, and the entire open internet, advertisers need to design integrated omnichannel strategies.

CTV plays a central role, providing a premium big-screen experience while seamlessly coordinating with mobile and digital touchpoints before, during, and after the matches.

Kei Majima, General Manager of The Trade Desk Japan, commented: 'These survey results highlight how media consumption in Japan is increasingly fragmented, particularly in the context of the time-zone challenges of this summer's international soccer tournament.'