Ahead of the Winter Olympics, NBCUniversal is raking it in. The company sold out of ad inventory for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games this week, with more than 100 new advertisers joining the fray and marketing the most linear and digital revenue the broadcaster has brought in in Winter Olympics history, according to the company.
But it’s not just the Olympics that NBCU will air next month. With NBA All-Star Weekend and the Super Bowl, the latter of which saw ad inventory sell out at a record pace, next month, NBCU is unveiling several new Peacock streaming features and trotting out some old hits to support what it is calling “Legendary February.”
“These three events are an incredible opportunity for our company and an important time for us to really be strategic and clear about our marketing and promotion,” Jenny Storms, NBCU TV and streaming CMO, told attendees at a press event in New York on Wednesday. “We want to take people from each event, but we also want to build the audience as we go.”
Watch these rings: For the Olympics, which kick off in early February, NBCU is introducing Rinkside Live, a feature geared toward ice hockey and figure skating that features a “Coaching Cam” for certain figure skating events showing skaters’ coaches as well as a separate “Training Room” cam documenting athlete preparation, while Ice Hockey is getting a “Bench Cam.” Rinkside Live will also include a highlights hub displaying vertical video clips from the ice hockey and figure skating events.
Another feature, this one returning after debuting during 2024’s Paris Olympics, is Olympic-related mobile mini-games for the Peacock app, including predictions games for ice hockey and figure skating, an Olympic picks game, and a trivia game that will be live from Jan. 24 to Feb. 23. NBCU is also bringing back the much-lauded Gold Zone (a whip-around show in the style of NFL Red Zone), Discovery Multiview (a feature that allows viewers to watch up to four events simultaneously), and Live Actions (a tool to help viewers follow specific events), among other offerings.
To get the word out, NBCU will promote the Olympics across its platforms, including TV, streaming, and digital, Storms said. It’s also leaning into its Fortius program, which is designed to help athletes build their personal brands and following through efforts that include integration into NBCU programming. NBCU is also leaning into experiential marketing, deploying a “fleet of Italian-themed scooters” to various sports programs it hosts, like Sunday Night Football, and has inked a Roblox partnership. Celebrities, including singer Dua Lipa, actor Jon Hamm, and the Minions, will also support promotional efforts.
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“We’re treating it as a year-round pop culture franchise, not just a 17-day sporting event,” Storms said. “We want to ensure by the time the opening ceremony comes, the Olympics is the hottest topic in the country, and to do that we treat the Olympics like a franchise.”
NBCU is also deploying Oli, an AI concierge chatbot designed to help fans engage with the Olympics, Storms said. The feature, which is available across digital platforms, will suggest answers to popular questions and will pull up content like highlights and facts about the Games.
Buzzer beaters: Courtside Live, a feature similar to Rinkside Live, is, after being announced last year, officially being rolled out during the NBA All-Star Game on February 15, the company said, and it will be available for certain NBA games across the rest of the season. Courtside Live will include a “Star Spotlight” cam showing players on court, as well as “Home Team” and “Away Team” cams monitoring players on the bench. A “Hot Highlights” feature will include content including interviews, key plays, and tunnel looks.
NBCU is bringing previously released features like Can’t Miss Highlights, Live in Browse, Catch Up with Key Plays, to NBA All-Star Weekend on Peacock. The Super Bowl will also incorporate Catch Up with Key Plays and the feature Live Actions on the streamer.
Through the uprights: Of course, the biggest sporting (and marketing) event of all is the Super Bowl, set to be played on Sunday, February 8. Inventory for the game sold out in September, ahead of the NFL’s regular season, and Peter Lazarus, EVP, NBC Sports and Olympics, advertising and partnerships, said at the time that the season was the network’s “highest grossing to date.”
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