Xiaohongshu gambled on a 40-day World Cup livestream experiment to explore the future of long-form content

When Spain lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy on Monday, the 2026 tournament came to an end, and so did Xiaohongshu’s first full-scale World Cup broadcasting effort. Over 39 days and 104 matches, the platform’s coverage marked not only its debut in premium sports rights but also a major test of its ambitions in long-form video and livestreaming. During the World Cup, daily searches for football-related content tripled compared with the previous tournament, according to Xiaohongshu. According to data released by the company, user time spent on Xiaohongshu doubled month over month in July during the tournament, while average viewing time for some matches exceeded 52 minutes. For a platform best known for short-form videos, lifestyle posts, and product recommendations, the figures suggest that users were willing to spend considerably longer watching horizontal livestreams, showing how premium sports content can reshape viewing behavior. Before the tournament began, Xiaohongshu was widely questioned over whether it could effectively capitalize on the traffic generated by a global football event.

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