Here’s one Olympic sport that currently excludes certain participants.
NBCUniversal announced Tuesday that it has sold out of all commercial inventory associated with its televised coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics scheduled for Milan-Cortina, marking the latest example of traditional media companies’ growing reliance on sports and live events. This ad sales milestone comes after NBC eliminated all ad time associated with its upcoming February LX Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game broadcasts. Three events strengthened NBCU’s position in the “upfront” sales market last year.
NBCU sold about $900 million in advertising related to recent efforts for the 2022 Beijing Games and the spectacular 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. The company said the Milan Winter Olympics secured “the highest linear and digital revenue in Winter Olympics history,” but did not provide specific numbers.
“This is the first time in our company’s history that we have experienced such unprecedented demand that we have officially sold out of inventory this far in advance of the Olympics,” Peter Lazarus, executive vice president of NBC Sports & Olympic Advertising and Partnerships, said in a statement. “We’re excited to once again offer our fans a word-class viewing experience while providing brands with the powerful halo effect that the Olympics bring.”
NBC had a reason to focus on selling sports advertising. The company had hundreds of hours of sports to sell last year, and February was packed with Olympic telecasts, Super Bowl coverage and NBA games. There’s more on the way, including a new broadcast rights deal with Major League Baseball that will allow NBC to air games on Sunday nights between the NBA and NFL deals.
“With the return of the Olympic movement, the strongest sports upfront in history, an early sellout for Super Bowl LX, and the NBA’s remarkable comeback, NBCUniversal is solidifying its position as a sports powerhouse and our brand is gaining attention,” Mark Marshall, president of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, said in a statement.
NBCU is capitalizing on the momentum from the recent Summer Olympics, which were televised from Paris. The event relied heavily on a bespoke streaming experience, smart curation of the event for prime time broadcasts, and a number of celebrity cameos. According to the company, more than 100 advertisers participating in the Winter Olympics will be participating in the event for the first time. Nearly 60 companies invested in unique elements related to the Olympics, and more than a dozen invested in sponsorships to provide fans with more live sports coverage.
