Fox One’s World Cup influencer campaign has driven more than 15 million views on a single viral video, as the streaming service leverages creator partnerships to expand its subscriber base during the tournament. A video of Norwegian fans performing their signature “Viking row” outside the Times Square cube where two paid “Chief World Cup Watchers” are viewing matches drew 1 million views on Instagram in the first 24 hours and has since climbed to over 15 million, according to Business Insider.
Fox One partnered with Indeed to hire Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto, two TikTok creators with combined followings of over 370,000, to watch all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from inside a transparent cube in Times Square. Each was paid $50,000 for the role, which also involves creating social media content from the venue.
The influencer-driven strategy has paid immediate dividends for the streaming service. According to analysis from Ampere Analytics, Fox One added more than 1 million new subscribers in the first week of the World Cup alone, marking the second-largest day of sign-ups in the platform’s history behind only the start of the NFL season in September. Ampere estimated Fox One added nearly twice as many customers in June as in any previous month of operation.
Brian Borkowski, Chief Marketing Officer of Fox’s direct-to-consumer business, told Business Insider that the company has been fielding outreach from sports leagues, talent agencies, and advertisers eager to capitalize on the cube’s visibility. “We feel like we’ve landed on a gold mine,” Borkowski said, adding that one company even proposed delivering a package to the cube via drone—a plan that proved impractical to execute in Times Square.
Expanding Beyond Times Square
Fox One’s creator strategy extends beyond the Times Square cube. The platform partnered with livestreamer iShowSpeed, a major YouTube personality, who is streaming watchalongs for select games to Fox One subscribers while creating additional content from games and fan interactions.
“We’ve been very pleasantly surprised to see the scale YouTube’s been able to drive for us,” Borkowski said. “That was completely unexpected.” The success on YouTube underscores how influencer partnerships can reach audiences that traditional advertising may miss, particularly younger viewers accustomed to creator-driven content.
Fox One’s approach stands apart from competitors. While other World Cup advertisers have relied on celebrity endorsements and traditional sports marketing, Fox One deliberately chose humor and absurdity to break through the noise. Its ad campaign, titled “The FIFA World Cup Comes First,” features comedic scenarios where soccer fans ignore disasters because they’re distracted by games—a strategy Borkowski credits with helping the brand stand out.
The influencer campaign arrives as Fox One pursues an aggressive subscriber acquisition strategy ahead of the World Cup’s conclusion on July 19. The platform is testing various user onboarding offers, including “buy two months, get one month free” promotions, and working with marketing firm Haus to improve its cost-per-acquisition ratio relative to lifetime subscriber value. Borkowski acknowledged that maintaining momentum after the tournament ends will require sustained effort.
Sources
- Business Insider — Detailed account of Fox One’s influencer marketing playbook, the 15M-view video, the hiring of Franklin and Akoto, and Borkowski’s quotes on the campaign’s success
- Ampere Analysis — Subscriber growth data showing 1M+ new Fox One subscribers in the first week of the World Cup and June subscriber trends
- Fox Corporation — Official announcement of Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto as Chief World Cup Watchers
- Sports Business Journal — Fox Sports’ overall World Cup content performance and digital strategy
