- American soccer fans turned to VPNs to avoid hydration break ads
- Planet VPN saw a 57 percent increase on the first day of the World Cup
- A VPN lets you access international gaming coverage
VPN downloads in the US have increased as soccer fans look for 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 viewing experience of the soccer tournament, with fans around the world complaining online that the interruptions are greatly disrupting momentum during matches.
But while in the United Kingdom broadcasters use these minutes to provide tactical analysis of matches or to show players taking a breather, in the United States viewers are forced to sit through minutes of non-stop commercials.
Desperate for a smoother experience, Americans have flocked to the best VPN apps to watch international live streams.
Nobody likes ads
Planet VPN saw a staggering 57% increase in downloads on the opening day of the tournament alone. Its new users on iOS have nearly doubled, while premium subscriptions in the US have tripled since the tournament began.
Perhaps not surprisingly, downloads peaked at +343% on June 19, the exact same day as the US-Australia match.
For Konstantin Levinzon, co-founder of Planet VPN, it is evident that football fans are leaving aside Fox’s long commercial breaks to tune into international stations, where interruptions are filled by experts such as Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney.
It’s a huge business for American television: according to a recent BBC report, these ads could generate more than £189 million. However, fans seem to hate them, especially when broadcasters interrupt live coverage to place advertisements 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 advantage in these types of situations. It allows you to route your Internet traffic through servers located around the world to bypass geo-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 with specific features in mind: “We always recommend choosing a VPN provider that does not track users without their consent or keep logs of their activity, and that sticks to legal and trustworthy streaming services to keep your data safe.”
The perfect ally for the World Cup
VPNs are the perfect companion for the World Cup. In the United States, for example, where most games are behind a paywall, VPNs allow viewers to virtually “travel” to other countries where the same matches can be watched for free.
Additionally, streaming demand puts a huge strain on servers during big games, when millions of fans log in at the same time, causing ISP pairing issues, network congestion, and mid-match buffering. If you use a VPN, you’re basically leaving the ‘data jam’ that everyone else is stuck in for a smoother experience.
Additionally, VPN speeds are further optimized through modern protocols like WireGuard, while offering a wide range of traffic routing and speed optimization features.
The icing on the cake? You can access comments from all over the world, from Brazil to Türkiye to India. Your locations will affect your perspective and focus, hopefully making your experience even richer.
