ITV’s decision to introduce split-screen advertising during this year’s Six Nations represents a meaningful step in the evolution of UK broadcasting.
While the format is familiar in international sports coverage, its debut in a major British sporting event marks a significant moment for domestic media strategy.
Innovation of this kind often invites scrutiny. Initial reactions in the public domain reflected surprise, debate and a degree of uncertainty. However, short-term sentiment rarely reflects long-term impact. To understand the real implications, we must look beyond social discourse and ground our assessment in continuous, data-led measurement.
A market undergoing structural change
The UK media landscape is in a period of accelerated transformation. Shifts in viewing behaviour, intensified competition from digital platforms and the expanding array of ad-supported streaming environments are reshaping how audiences consume content, and how broadcasters fund it.
Against this backdrop, ITV’s introduction of a new in game format is not simply a creative experiment. It is a strategic response to a market that increasingly rewards agility, commercial diversification and the ability to integrate advertising in ways that complement live, premium content.
Like all good disruption, it felt uncomfortable – but only at first
Every recent major shift in UK media has started with scepticism:
Innovation always arrives before comfort.
What the data shows
Savanta’s BrandVue tracking provides a clear, empirical view of how audiences actually responded.
For ITV: Positive sentiment has risen as the tournament has progressed and peaked at 19% (so far) following the Round 3 fixtures. Negative sentiment has remained steady at a small minority of 2-3%
Among rugby fans specifically, sentiment has naturally been stronger. While positive buzz fell during the downtime between Rounds 2 and 3, it has recovered to achieve a new peak so far this year at 28%. Conversely, negative buzz has been in the minority, wavering between 2% and 7% – lower than pre-tournament levels observed in January.
In other words: the innovation did not create sustained reputational risk.
For the advertised brands: Samsung, operating at a much higher baseline of public visibility, experienced more pronounced sentiment movement with positive buzz dipping following Round 1, but returning to an upward trend throughout the rest of February. Similarly, while negative buzz peaked at 9% on the day of the opening match, it has subsequently sat between 2% and 6%.
We also saw the relationship between awareness of Samsung advertising and positive buzz surrounding the brand shift in the right direction – the first part of February saw the brand categorised as ‘Noticed’, which progressed to ‘Loud & Positive’ as the month went on, i.e. both ad awareness and positive buzz have risen.
Virgin Atlantic have seen positive buzz climb during the activation window, from 11% on the day of the opening match to 15% after Round 3, with no indication of long-term negative impact.
These patterns are consistent with what we see whenever new commercial formats are introduced: heightened scrutiny at launch, followed by stabilisation as the format normalises.
The strategic implication for broadcasters and brands
The introduction of split-screen advertising demonstrates a broader truth: innovation in live media requires controlled experimentation, supported by robust measurement frameworks. Without this, broadcasters risk relying on legacy formats that may no longer meet commercial needs or audience expectations.
Three clear strategic advantages emerge:
A necessary step forward
ITV’s move should be viewed not as a departure from tradition, but as a forward looking adaptation to the realities of a modern media environment. Once the initial surprise fades – and it will – viewers will adapt just as they’ve adapted to every other media evolution of the past 20 years.
As the market continues to evolve, the organisations that thrive will be those prepared to experiment thoughtfully, measure impact rigorously and learn quickly. Split-screen advertising is likely the first of many steps broadcasters will take to future-proof the live viewing experience.
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