NBCU Heads to Medal Stand With Record-Setting Sellout of Olympic Ad Inventory
NBA All-Star game also sold out
NBCUniversal has a big February ahead with an unprecedented lineup of huge sports events including the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics and NBA All-Star Game. The company’s ad sales group has already cashed in.
NBCU announced that it has sold out all of its advertising inventory in the Milan Cortina games, generating record linear and digital revenue for a Winter Olympics.
It also said the NBA All-Star game is sold out. NBCU declared in September that the Super Bowl was sold out.
Live sports is the most powerful programming on TV, and advertisers have been willing to pay higher prices to reach their large, engaged audiences. With its bundle of marquee events, NBCU expects to reach two out of three Americans in February. All of which adds up to a lucrative month for NBCU.
“Our partners have not only seen the power of the NBC Sports portfolio, but also the incredible results our robust sports programming delivers, which is why our company now sits in its strongest position ever for a Winter Games and is kicking off 2026 officially sold out of all our Legendary February programming,” said Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal.
At the tail end of the Covid pandemic, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing were the lowest-rated ever. Political considerations also held down ad revenues to $963 million.
The 2026 games are expected to be the highest rated since the 1994 games that drew big audiences to see skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.
NBCU said that the Milan games attracted more than 100 new advertisers that didn’t sponsor the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Almost 60 advertisers have bought unique marketing elements in addition to commercials. A dozen brands have bought sponsorships that bring fans more live sports.
It said that 85% of its Olympic advertisers have bought digital inventory and adoption of innovative ad formats on Peacock is up 31% compared to the Paris games.
“The upcoming Winter Games, surrounded by Super Bowl LX and NBA All-Star Weekend, will captivate a highly engaged and passionate audience at scale in a way that no other media company can for advertisers,” said Peter Lazarus, executive VP, NBC Sports & Olympics, Advertising and Partnerships. “For the first time in our company’s history, we have seen such unprecedented demand that we are officially sold out of our inventory this far in advance of a Games. We are excited to once again deliver fans a world-class viewing experience; while providing brands the powerful halo effect the Olympics has to offer.”
This season marked a return of the NBA to NBC, and demand has been strong from advertisers, the network said.
The NBA is debuting a new U.S. vs. World format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. NBC and Peacock will present the league’s midseason Feb. 15 from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., home of the L.A. Clippers.