The 2026 Fifa World Cup produced more streaming data than any previous soccer tournament, creating a rare opportunity to analyze not just how many people watch live sport, but how and where they watch it. With a dataset spanning around 450 ISP customers globally, Plume sits in a privileged position for visibility into device behavior and network performance. The US-based network intelligence company has published data from a three-match sample, revealing some unexpected viewing patterns from World Cup streaming on Peacock, which carried Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage. The strangest takeaway from Plume’s data is that streaming activity peaked before kick-off rather than during the match itself. In one example, a 3pm Eastern Time kick-off saw Peacock streams peak at around 2pm, then decline by 4pm, before the conclusion of the…