Next month will be a “legendary” one for NBCUniversal, with the media company now officially sold out of advertising inventory for the 2026 Winter Olympics from Milan-Cortina. NBCU also says it will mark the highest-grossing Winter Olympics of all time (the Summer Olympics typically generate higher ad revenues than its winter counterpart, given the sheer number of events).
The company is branding what it is calling “Legendary February,” with the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the NBA All Star Game set to take place within a two week window.
NBCU said that the NBA All Star Game has also sold out, and it previously announced in September that the Super Bowl had sold out of spots.
Sports continue to be a dominant force in the advertising business, serving as tentpoles that support other pieces of the portfolio (like entertainment), and driving not only major viewership, but engagement with marketers, both those established TV advertisers, and those new to the business.
NBCU says, for example, that this year’s Olympics have brought in more than 100 new advertisers.
For essentially every media company, live sports have become the lynchpin of their ad business, both for more sports-focused companies like Fox (and now NBCU, given the recent Versant spinoff), and dominant players like Disney and Netflix. Even YouTube is betting more on sports, securing exclusive games and pushing its NFL Sunday Ticket product.
“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 of global advertising & partnerships for NBCUniversal. “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.”
“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,” added Peter Lazarus, executive VP for 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 word class viewing experience; while providing brands the powerful halo effect the Olympics has to offer.”