NBC’s 2026 Centennial Celebration begins this weekend with a new “NBC100” tagline and promotional spots launching during the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony and the Super Bowl.
“This is an anniversary for all of us,” says Jenny Storms, chief marketing officer for NBCUniversal TV & Streaming, about “A Century Together,” the Peacock Network’s 100th anniversary tagline. “This is a anniversary for everyone who enjoys watching NBC. We celebrate with them and with us.”
This is the “Kinetic” spot that will debut on Friday nights during the Olympics.
And this is the “In My Life” promo that will air during the Super Bowl.
The spot began on the airwaves and was intended to pay homage to NBC’s origins as a radio network founded by RCA in November 1926. From there, the promotion focuses on some of the most famous phrases and scenes in the television network’s history, primarily from recent decades.
Before introducing the 100th anniversary spot, Storms said, NBC executives first needed to decide how and why the network would promote the 100th anniversary. “When any company hits a milestone and they’re going to talk about it publicly to consumers, I think you ask yourself, ‘Why do we want to share this?’ Other than the fact that you’ve been around for a while, why do we need to talk about it outwardly? NBC I think what’s special about celebrating the longevity of , is that we’re celebrating the period we’ve been through with people, and it’s really about us as a whole, the collective memories we’ve created within our audience across generations.”
That includes legacy IP, past and present. These include “Today” in the 1950s, “Star Trek” in the 1960s, “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s, “Cheers” in the 1980s, “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “Emergency Room” and “Law & Order” in the 1990s, and “The Office” and “30 Rock” in this century. “This Is Us,” “The Good Place,” etc.
Of course, that leaves a lot of NBC history that didn’t get spots — a brief montage of “Tonight Show” hosts, for example, omits Jack Paar and Conan O’Brien. The NBC logo has undergone transformations over the years, but the 1960s “NBC Snake” and mid-1970s “NBC Trapezoid” are gone.
But Storms said there will be time to represent more NBC history in future spots. “Remember, this is the beginning, and this will give us the opportunity throughout the year to go into different parts of our history, whether it’s comedy, sports, entertainment, movies, etc., and dig deeper depending on the era and who we’re talking to,” she said. “There’s a lot more to come.”
“NBC100” will play a role in the events the company plans for next year. In addition to the Super Bowl and Olympics, these events include the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the FIFA World Cup on Telemundo, the NBA and WNBA, Sunday Night Football, Big Ten, Ryder Cup, U.S. Open Golf Championship, Emmys, MLB, Kentucky Derby, Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks and more.
And there’s an “NBC 100” special scheduled to air later this year.
This weekend’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony and Super Bowl are part of what NBC calls “Legendary February,” which also includes the NBA All-Star Game. NBCU is using the Feb. 8 Super Bowl and Winter Olympics double shot to promote the premiere of “The Barbs” on Peacock, as well as the upcoming “Ted” Season 2 (premiering March 5), NBC drama staples like “Chicago” and the “Law & Order” series, sitcom series “The Voice: Battle of Champions” (released Feb. 23), upcoming Bravo shows, and Peacock’s “House of Villains” Season 3.
Meanwhile, “NBC100” isn’t the only internal NBCU promotion scheduled to air during the Super Bowl. Telemundo is planning a spot promoting its 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage featuring Owen Wilson. This spot will air during the third quarter of the big game, right after Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Here’s the full spot teaser:
