- US football fans turned to VPNs to avoid hydration break ads
- Planet VPN saw a 57 per cent surge on the first day of the World Cup
- A VPN lets you access international coverage of games
VPN downloads in the US have surged as football fans seek ways to enjoy the World Cup without being interrupted by 'hydration break' ads, according to the latest data from Planet VPN.
Introduced this year by FIFA, hydration breaks have significantly altered the football tournament's viewing experience, with fans around the world complaining online that the interruptions are heavily disrupting the momentum during matches.
But whilst in the UK broadcasters use these minutes to provide tactical analysis of the games or to show players taking a breather, in the US viewers are forced to sit through minutes of non-stop adverts.
Desperate to have a smoother experience, Americans have massively turned to the best VPN apps to watch international live broadcasts instead.
Nobody likes ads
Planet VPN recorded a staggering 57% spike in downloads just on the opening day of the tournament. Its new users on iOS almost doubled, while premium subscriptions in the US more than tripled since the tournament began.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, downloads peaked at +343% on 19 June —precisely the same day as the match between the US and Australia.
For Konstantin Levinzon, co-founder of Planet VPN, it is obvious that football fans are turning away from Fox’s lengthy ad breaks to tune in to international broadcasters, where interruptions are filled by experts such as Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney.
It is a huge business for US television: according to a recent BBC report, these adverts could generate over £189 million. However, fans seem to hate them, especially when broadcasters interrupt the live coverage for ads — and only return after the match has started, as Fox did during the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
Needless to say, a virtual private network (VPN) is a huge asset in such situations. It allows you to route your internet traffic through servers located all over the world to bypass geographical restrictions that would otherwise prevent you from accessing local streaming platforms.
This way, no matter where you are, you can access your preferred coverage and watch ad-free content on BBC iPlayer and ITVX in the UK, SBS on Demand in Australia, or RTE Player in Ireland — streaming football exactly as if you were in a London or Dublin pub.
And let’s not forget that VPNs encrypt your browsing data and protect it from cybercriminals. Levinzon reminds users to choose a VPN by taking certain specific features into account: "We always recommend choosing a VPN provider that doesn't track users without consent or keep logs of their activity, sticking to trusted, legal streaming services to keep your data secure."
The perfect World Cup ally
VPNs are the perfect companion for the World Cup. In the US, for example, where most games sit behind a paywall, VPNs enable viewers to virtually ‘travel’ to other countries where the same matches are free to watch.
Additionally, streaming demand places high strain on servers during major matches, when millions of fans log in at the same time, causing ISP peering issues, network congestion, and mid-match buffering. If you use a VPN, you are basically leaving the ‘data traffic jam’ everyone else is stuck in for a smoother experience.
Furthermore, VPN speeds are further optimised via modern protocols such as WireGuard, while additionally offering a wide range of traffic routing and speed optimisation features.
The icing on the cake? You can access commentaries from all over the world — from Brazil to Turkey to India. Their locations will affect their perspective and focus, hopefully making your experience even richer.
