As ITVX banks on World Cup gold, is channel too late to streaming party?

‘If England get to the quarter-finals, it’s a big deal for ITV,’ says ITV’s Rufus Radcliffe. Photograph: François Nel/Getty

With England roaring into the last 16 and the prospect of maybe, just maybe, airing a quarter-final World Cup clash, the mood at ITV traditionally becomes one of high-fives and talk of bonuses as national fervour turns into advertising gold.

But this time there is much more at stake as the broadcaster rolls out ITVX, an £800m-plus bet on a new national streaming champion fit for the Netflix era, with executives glued to screens hoping it won’t prove to be a digital own goal.