On 22 July 2026, Samsung held its Galaxy Unpacked event in London, unveiling a broad range of premium foldable, wearable and intelligent eyewear devices:

• Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra — Samsung’s flagship foldable for productivity, creativity and premium performance.

• Galaxy Z Fold8 — a new lighter and wider foldable designed to feel more like a conventional smartphone when closed.

• Galaxy Z Flip8 — a compact, stylish and AI-led foldable intended to make the category more accessible.

• Galaxy Watch9 Series — Samsung’s everyday smartwatch range focused on health, wellness and continuous monitoring with two variants (40mm and 44mm).

• Galaxy Watch Ultra2 — a more rugged smartwatch for outdoor, endurance and performance-focused users.

• Samsung intelligent eyewear — two initial designs developed to bring hands-free AI into everyday use in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

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• Deal value: up to £1.6bn

• Cash consideration: £1.2bn

• Additional asset: ITV receives Sky’s Love Productions, maker of The Great British Bake Off

• ITV Studios: remains separate as a standalone production business

• Content agreement: Sky and ITV M&E commit to spend at least £2.1bn with ITV Studios over 2028–2032

• Regulatory process: expected to include antitrust and public interest scrutiny

The deal should also be viewed alongside Comcast’s wider restructuring, with Sky expected to sit within the new NBCUniversal (NBCU) structure once Comcast separates its media assets from the connectivity business. That makes Sky’s move for ITV M&E more than a UK broadcasting transaction. It is one of the first major moves shaping the new NBCU.

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In essence, Comcast is separating to simplify and unlock value, while Sky is consolidating to scale. Both moves are responses to the same pressure: legacy media and connectivity groups need sharper structures to compete with global platforms.

The new Comcast structure creates two more focused businesses:

• Comcast: broadband, wireless, business services, connectivity, platforms and potentially U.S. cable consolidation.

• NBCUniversal: NBC, Universal Studios, Peacock, Telemundo, Bravo, theme parks and Sky as a standalone global media and entertainment company.

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• The new business will be structured as a 50:50 joint venture.

• It will serve more than 3,000 multinational customers across more than 180 countries.

• It represents around $4bn in combined annual revenue.

• Verizon will make a $625m equalisation payment to BT.

• Martijn Blanken appointed CEO-designate.

• Completion is expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

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DTW Ignite 2026 took place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen from 23–25 June and once again underscored why it remains one of my favourite telecoms events of the year. It has a different feel from many industry gatherings, largely informal, with the real value coming from the calibre of people and the conversations around the event.

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StreamTV Show 2026 took place from June 16–19 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, bringing together more than 2,200 attendees, 300+ speakers and 170+ sponsors and partners. The event continues to grow in scale and relevance, underscoring the need for a dedicated forum focused on the rapidly evolving streaming, connected TV and broader media landscape. Next year’s edition will return to the same venue, taking place August 3–6, 2027.

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• Netflix and TF1 show what deeper aggregation looks like

• Snap Spectacles and the race for AI-powered wearables

• Qualcomm’s push to power the AI wearables era

• Fox’s Roku move is a CTV, ads and data play

• Paramount Skydance clears a major hurdle

• French telecoms consolidation becomes Europe’s big test case

• SpaceX, Musk and the valuation of critical infrastructure

• FIFA World Cup 2026 testing has begun

• BBC Sport experiments with a new dimension in live viewing

• Sky’s Real Time feature tackles sports streaming delay

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It was also an important moment for John Ternus, as Apple needed to reassure developers, investors and customers that the leadership transition is about continuity rather than disruption, while also signalling that the next chapter can feel more ambitious. That made WWDC 2026 one of Apple’s most important developer events in years, not for a single feature, but because it was the moment Apple had to reset the AI narrative.

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This latest 2026 tournament signals a broader shift, as FIFA is no longer relying solely on the traditional broadcast model to tell the World Cup story. It is building a wider platform spanning media, entertainment, creators, gaming, data and advertising for the tournament.

Broadcasters and rights holders remain critical. Live matches continue to attract mass audiences, premium advertising inventory and a clear front door for many fans. But the World Cup is now far more than 90 minutes on a TV screen.

It will be discovered on YouTube, clipped on TikTok, streamed on digital platforms, debated on podcasts, played in games, extended by creators, activated in stadiums and monetised through new layers of data, content and fan engagement. Other recent relevant pieces include:

The Battle for Attention, Technology and Connectivity at FIFA World Cup 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Connectivity Moves Centre Stage

Sport’s New Power Grab — The Battle for the Always-On Fan

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FIFA World Cup 2026 will take this further. A 48-team tournament, 104 matches and three host countries will create one of the biggest live stress tests the telecoms, media and technology industries have ever faced. For fans in Europe in particular, many matches will fall late at night or in the early hours, meaning a significant share of the audience will follow the tournament through morning highlights, mobile clips, commute-time catch-ups, social feeds, podcasts, notifications and on-demand analysis.

The World Cup experience is becoming more fragmented, more mobile and more reliant on connectivity throughout the day, not just during the live match window. Fans will be watching in stadiums, at home, in pubs, in hotels, in fan zones, on trains, on buses, at airports, at work and across multiple devices. They will be streaming, messaging, uploading, navigating, paying, translating, travelling and sharing every moment.

Therefore, this makes the tournament far more than a broadcast event. It is a mobile data, fixed broadband, streaming, smart city, public safety, retail and customer loyalty event.

For telecom operators, I strongly believe they should demonstrate why connectivity matters before, during and after the match. Live viewing still matters, but so do highlights, replays, social clips, notifications, roaming, Wi-Fi, UHD (4K) streams, mobile video and the reliability of the home network.

At its best, the World Cup showcases the entire telco offering. For some, this is a missed opportunity, and there are fascinating differences between providers around the world.

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This year’s keynote line-up reflected the event’s growing importance, featuring senior executives including Rene Haas (Arm), Young Liu (Foxconn), Lip-Bu Tan (Intel), Rick Tsai (MediaTek), Kurt Sievers (NXP), Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) and Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm).

Beyond the keynote stage, the event serves as a barometer for the broader technology industry, offering an early indication of where investment, innovation and competitive battles are headed.

Often overshadowed by CES, which captures headlines with consumer gadgets, Computex focuses on the technologies that power these and future experiences. If CES is where technology is marketed, Computex is increasingly where it is engineered.

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More than 6 million fans are expected to attend in person, making it the most-watched World Cup ever. At the same time, billions around the world will follow every moment across television, streaming and social platforms. The expanded format underscores the growing popularity of football and creates new opportunities for host cities, broadcasters, sponsors, brands and technology partners to engage audiences on an unprecedented scale.

This is a monumental moment not only for FIFA, participating nations and players, but also for broadcasters, advertisers, sponsors and technology providers. The World Cup has evolved far beyond a sporting event. It is now one of the world’s most powerful platforms for storytelling, innovation, marketing and fan engagement. Every stakeholder is seeking to maximise the opportunity, whether through immersive activations, exclusive experiences, creator-led content, innovative partnerships or the deployment of technologies that bring fans closer to the action.

Several factors make this tournament particularly noteworthy. It is poised to be the first truly streaming-era World Cup, arriving at a time when connected TVs, mobile devices and streaming services have become mainstream viewing platforms. It will also showcase AI, advanced connectivity and new production techniques. At the same time, the growing role of creators and influencers is set to transform how fans engage with content before, during and after matches. The United States, as one of the world’s largest media, technology and advertising markets, further elevates the tournament’s commercial significance.

As the competition approaches, I will be keeping a close eye on every aspect of the World Cup ecosystem. Particular areas of interest include sponsor campaigns, fan activations, unique storytelling approaches, and how organisations seek to stand out during one of the most competitive periods in global media. Equally fascinating will be how broadcasters, streaming providers and technology partners deliver the event from glass to glass, ensuring fans can access matches wherever and however they choose to watch.

For me, the fascination extends well beyond the football itself. The tournament offers a unique opportunity to examine how technology, media and connectivity converge to deliver one of the world’s most demanding live events, from the stadium to the screen and everything in between. Throughout the tournament, I will be testing across platforms, networks, and devices at home and while travelling, including time in the United States during the competition. From broadcast versus streaming performance to connectivity across fixed, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks, this testing will provide a valuable lens for evaluating how the world’s biggest sporting event is delivered and experienced by fans around the globe.

The action on the pitch is only part of the story. This piece examines three areas shaping FIFA World Cup 2026: the FIFA International Broadcast Centre (IBC), where the tournament becomes a global media product; Lenovo’s role in powering the biggest World Cup yet; and Verizon’s focus on connectivity, fan experiences and public safety. Together, they show how the event is being delivered, supported and experienced on an unprecedented scale.

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On 7 May 2026, BT hosted an event at Wembley Stadium to unveil a series of announcements spanning brand, consumer, business and sport:

• BT was announced as the Official Telecommunications Partner of UEFA EURO 2028. This will see BT provide connectivity for the tournament across areas such as stadiums, broadcast operations, teams, officials and wider event infrastructure

• Launched its new brand campaign, “Behind Brilliant Things”, which highlights BT’s role in powering everyday connectivity, major events, businesses and national moments

• Used the event to reinforce the role of its networks, technology and people in supporting consumers, businesses and large-scale live events

• Unveiled updates across its Consumer and Business segments

  • Confirmed the return of BT Mobile to its consumer offering

  • Highlighted developments across mobile, broadband, cybersecurity and business connectivity

In terms of context, I strongly recommend reading one of my previous pieces outlining my views on the BT brand (The New EE and the Journey So Far).

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This year’s event followed The Android Show: I/O Edition, held on 12 May 2026, which set the scene by showing how Android is being positioned beyond smartphones as an AI-powered ecosystem layer spanning phones, watches, laptops, cars, XR and smart glasses.

I look at some of the areas that caught my eye, and then all attention shifts to Microsoft Build and, of course, Apple WWDC.

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