Advertiser Expectations for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Marking Italy’s third time hosting the Winter Olympics, the Milano Cortina 2026 Games will bring together a rare convergence of elite competition, global storytelling, and commercial opportunity. From the return of NHL players to Olympic ice and the debut of ski mountaineering (skimo), to the comeback of global superstars such as Chloe Kim, Lindsey Vonn, Schriffen, and Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the Games are poised to capture sustained global attention across broadcast, streaming, and social platforms.

For advertisers, this combination of marquee moments and evolving media behaviors positions Milano Cortina as one of 2026’s most consequential live sporting events—not just to watch, but to activate against. 

NBCUniversal (NBCU) will once again be home to official Olympics programming in the U.S.

Social platforms like TikTok and YouTube will play an influential role in shaping the fan experience at home and in Italy during these Winter Olympic Games, as athletes, brands, and creators provide unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to everything from arrivals and training to event trials and podium celebrations.

Though NBCUniversal has announced that Olympic inventory is sold out, there remain opportunities for brands to advertise and engage with fans worldwide.

U.S.-based coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will span NBCUniversal’s owned channels, including Peacock, NBC, regional sports networks, local stations, and Telemundo for Spanish-speaking audiences, streaming live and in primetime. Following the success of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics programming strategy, where NBCU’s coverage set an all-time record in attracting 30.6 million viewers across platforms (an 82% jump from the Tokyo Olympics), coverage for the 2026 Winter Olympics will include many of the same viewing capabilities and an expansive roster of 82 commentators. New and improved viewing features include Ringside Live, an Olympics version of Courtside Live for hockey and figure skating, and OLI, NBCU’s AI-powered Olympics discoverability tool, which will help fans navigate coverage by event. 

NBCU is also reprising the Creator Collective Program from the Paris Games, which was a massive success, generating over 300 million views across social platforms. This year, tapping 20 creators to join athletes and fans at the Games to expand Olympic coverage beyond NBC-owned channels with creator-led content. Creators were recruited in partnership with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to “tell stories of the Games through their eyes with unrivaled on-the-ground access in Milan and Cortina,” Variety reports. 

Just in time for the Winter Olympics, TikTok recently unveiled TikTok GamePlan, an immersive in-app destination to help organize live event schedules and standings, fan content, and ticket purchases, transforming sports fandom into a more organized effort online. Behind the scenes, TikTok GamePlan provides a comprehensive analytics suite to help advertisers and sports partners understand fan behavior and trending conversations. 

As seen during prior global sporting events, with rights fees exploding and audiences shifting younger, social platforms will play an increasingly influential role in shaping the fan experience and helping to diversify the fan base throughout the Games. The Creator Program also creates a new lever for relevance, supplementing legacy broadcasters with whom younger audiences may have less affinity than talent across social platforms. Flagship events like hockey, figure skating, alpine skiing, and snowboarding are expected to drive sustained appointment viewing, while athlete-led storylines—from the return of NHL stars to the comeback narratives of Olympic icons—will dominate social and earned media conversations.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will command an outsized share of global attention across broadcast, streaming, social, and digital platforms—despite a more condensed event schedule than the Summer Games—creating a high-stakes, premium media environment for advertisers. As seen in prior Games, non-sponsor brands can still participate in Olympic moments through contextual storytelling, cultural relevance, and platform-native execution, all without infringing on sponsorship protections. 

Social

While premium broadcast and streaming inventory is constrained, social platforms remain a highly flexible and scalable way for brands to surround Olympic moments in real time. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X will act as parallel viewing environments, where highlights, commentary, and behind-the-scenes content extend the lifespan of live competition. Advertisers can leverage in-feed video, creator amplification, and reactive organic content to align with key moments and cultural narratives as they unfold, without requiring official sponsorship rights. Speed, platform-native creative, and cultural fluency will be critical to capturing attention across social feeds.

CTV/Linear

While NBCUniversal’s U.S. national Olympic inventory is sold out, meaningful opportunities remain across local NBCU placements, Canadian national inventory, and adjacent CTV ecosystems. For linear, third-party buying opportunities are available across MVPDs such as Dish, Spectrum, and Xfinity, while local aggregate packages can be sourced through unwired networks such as ITN, Cadent, and Continuum. On CTV, platforms such as Roku and other streaming partners offer flexible, high-impact formats that extend reach beyond traditional broadcasts, including dynamic ad insertion, audience-based targeting, and contextual placements around live sports and highlight programming. For brands navigating the fragmented supply landscape, CTV and linear extensions remain critical channels for scale, legitimacy, and premium association during the Games.

Creator & Influencer Activations

Beyond traditional endorsements, the most effective activations will embed creators and athletes within broader storytelling ecosystems spanning social video, streaming extensions, and digital amplification, connecting Olympic competition to brand values and everyday consumer behavior. While official relationships with athletes, National Governing Bodies, or the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee provide advantages in access and intellectual property, scale and performance will ultimately be driven by paid media support and cross-platform distribution. We expect creators to serve as a new broadcast alternative at the Winter Games, translating Olympic moments into cultural content in real time. Brands that show up with creators and content, then use paid media to scale what resonates, will win attention and relevance.

Programmatic  

Programmatic media can play a strategic role during Milano Cortina 2026, enabling brands to extend Olympic reach beyond live streaming environments. Through digital video, display, and emerging interactive formats, advertisers can stay connected with fans who engage before, after, or outside of live event windows. Media buys that leverage contextual alignment, real-time optimization, and sequential messaging can allow advertisers to complement premium placements with efficient reach and frequency. As second-screen behaviors increase during live sports, programmatic placements tied to live coverage windows and highlights media help brands maintain a presence throughout the full fan journey—from live viewing to post-event engagement.

Beyond traditional in-game placements, advertisers will also find value in interactive, commerce-enabled formats that run adjacent to competition, including polls, creator-led integrations, shoppable moments, and second-screen experiences that deepen engagement without interrupting the live event. As alternative telecasts and customized viewing options become more common, brands that design flexible creative and media strategies will be best positioned to meet fans wherever—and however—they choose to watch.