The longest-ever World Cup drove strong TV demand, but growth fell short of expectations.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 presented a significant opportunity for retailers and brands to maximise returns. As the longest World Cup on record, the extended tournament schedule increased the period of consumer engagement and expanded the potential sales window by approximately one-third compared with previous tournaments.
Historically, major football tournaments have been a key trigger for TV purchases. Even during periods of economic pressure, these events often encourage households to bring forward planned purchases to take advantage of promotional offers and enjoy a premium viewing experience at home on the sofa.
NIQ/GfK’s Market Intelligence data prepared by Franck Saleem, Customer Success Analyst and Max Templeman, Client Insight Director, will reveal in the Autumn issue of IER how the TV market responded in 2026 and which retail channels benefitted. This iscurrently being compiled and due in just a few weeks.
In the meantime, as per below, Franck and Max have supplied IER with interesting data to show where opportunities may be emerging across adjacent audio categories.
The relationship between TVs and home audio products provides another important perspective. Soundbars are more often purchased alongside TVs as consumers seek a more immersive home-viewing experience. At the same time, an increasing number of TV manufacturers are collaborating with specialist audio brands to provide a premium speaker built into the set.
For this analysis, NIQ/GfK splits the Loudspeakers category into three segments: Traditional Speakers, Subwoofers and Soundbars, with the latter including all variations of Soundbars including standalone products as well as systems with rear/side speakers and packaged Subwoofers provided with the main product.
During the 12 months to June 2026, the overall GB Loudspeaker market remained broadly flat compared with the preceding 12-month period, generating around £180 million in value sales.
Soundbars accounted for the lions’ share of the category, with sales close to £120 million, although the segment declined by approximately £4 million year on year, notably underperforming the wider Loudspeakers category.
However, there are reasons for optimism. Models supplied with both a Subwoofer and rear/side speakers grew by £2.2 million compared with the previous year, gaining a 2.5% value share within the Soundbar market. Meanwhile, ranges supporting Dolby Atmos (i.e. without a DTS:X feature) generated almost £39m in value sales, approximately £4 million more than the previous 12-month period.
The next opportunity for TVs and Home Audio
Looking ahead, Black Friday represents the next major opportunity for the category. If retailers can successfully combine large-screen TVs with compelling premium audio solutions that encourage consumers to trade up, the final months of the year could provide a welcome boost to both categories.
As previously mentioned, the full version of this valuable, enhaced Market Intelligence data from NIQ/GfK’s, Franck Saleem, Customer Success Analyst and Max Templeman, Client Insight Director, will be available in the Autumn issue of IER.
