Here’s one Olympic competition that is now closed to certain entrants.
NBCUniversal said Tuesday that it has sold out of all the commercial inventory tied to its coming telecast of the 2026 Winter Olympics from Milan Cortina, offering the latest example of the growing dependence traditional media companies have on sports and live events. The ad-sales milestone comes after NBC has dispensed with all the ad time tied to its looming February broadcast of Super Bowl LX as well as the NBA All-Star Game. The three events boosted NBCU’s status in last year’s “upfront” sales market.
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NBCU sold approximately $900 million in advertising tied to each of its most recent Winter Olympics efforts, the 2022 Games from Beijing and the 2018 spectacular from PyeongChang. The company said its Milan Winter Olympics had secured “the highest linear and digital revenue in Winter Olympics history,” without offering a specific number.
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“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,” said Peter Lazarus, executive vice president of NBC Sports & Olympics, Advertising and Partnerships, in a statement. “We are excited to once again deliver fans a word class viewing experience; while providing brands the powerful halo effect the Olympics has to offer.”
NBC had reason to focus on sports ad sales. The company had hundreds of hours of sports to sell last year, with a February that is crammed with Olympics telecasts, Super Bowl programming and NBA matches. More is on the way, with a new rights deal with Major League Baseball that will give NBC games to show on Sunday nights in the interim between its NBA and NFL deals.
“With the resurgence of the Olympic movement, our strongest Sports Upfront in history, the early sell out of Super Bowl LX, and the remarkable return of the NBA, NBCUniversal has solidified itself as a sports powerhouse and brands have taken notice,” said Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising & partnerships, NBCUniversal, in a statement.
NBCU is harnessing momentum from its recent Summer Olympics telecast from Paris. The event relied more heavily on bespoke streaming experiences, smart curation of events for broadcast primetime and lots of celebrity cameos. The company said more than 100 advertisers committing to the Winter Olympics were new to the event. Nearly 60 invested in unique elements tied to the Games and more than a dozen invested in sponsorships that will offer fans more live sports viewing.