Portugal's Ronaldo‑driven World Cup surge fuels YouTube streaming boom

After Portugal’s 2‑1 victory over Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, forward Rafael Leão said the team "protects" Cristiano Ronaldo to keep his head "cold" and let him make a difference. Leão highlighted Ronaldo’s importance for the nation and the squad’s effort to recognise his contributions.

At the same time, a Portuguese‑run YouTube sports channel, LiveModeTV – which lists Ronaldo as an investor – has surged to nearly 800,000 subscribers. The platform reported record digital reach during the tournament, with a peak of over 571,000 concurrent devices for the Brazil‑Japan match and a total reach of 3.4 million unique devices. It targets a young audience, most of whom watch via smart‑TV apps, and its growth is prompting regulatory scrutiny in Portugal.