NBCUniversal will broadcast the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl 60 and the NBA All-Star Game within a 10-day span in February.
The network has invested billions in media rights for the Olympics, NFL and NBA.
Mike Tirico will become the first U.S. broadcaster to call the Super Bowl and host a Winter Games in the same year.
NEW YORK — For the Peacock network, the shortest month of the year could be the biggest ever for its sports properties.
NBCUniversal and its “Legendary February,” as it is being billed, will air the start of the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl 60 from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and the NBA All-Star Game set for the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California – all within a 10-day period starting Feb. 6.
When the first pack of athletes representing their country makes its way through Milan’s San Siro stadium, the executives at NBCUniversal will be holding their collective breath, hoping for maximum returns on an investment years in the making.
The network is paying $7.75 billion to air the Olympics through 2032, following a $3 billion extension with the International Olympic Committee in March. They are shelling out another $2 billion a year for their NFL package, which includes the top-rated Sunday Night Football and, this season, the crown jewel of every professional football season – Super Bowl 60. A record 127.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles’ destruction of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
The sound of “Roundball Rock” has been percolating across television screens since October, when the NBA on NBC returned after a 23-year hiatus, costing $2.5 billion a year and part of the 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal the league struck with Amazon and Disney.
NBCUniversal sold out its Olympic inventory, with 100 new advertisers setting a new Winter Olympics ad sales record and securing the advertising allotments for the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game. The Super Bowl ad price for a 30-second spot topped $8 million.
Point blank, NBC is expected to break viewership and revenue records, using stars such as figure skater, Ilia Malinin, the self-proclaimed “Quad God,” skier Mikaela Shiffrin, and downhill skier Lindsey Vonn to maximize exposure on television and social media.
The plan for the three major events was laid out by the executives and key players in charge of bringing viewers hours of programming during a press event at Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, better known as the home of “Saturday Night Live.”
Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics Production, said there will be some surprises and familiar faces for the Olympics. But Solomon said the main goal is to give the power back to the viewers – because of the audience’s different viewing habits, it’s imperative to give them the “best seat in the house.”
Snoop Dogg is back as a special correspondent after making a splash at the Paris Olympics, and actor Stanley Tucci will be brought on to talk all things Italy and highlight its culture.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games on Feb. 6 will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Terry Gannon, and three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
NBC set to dominate February sports with Olympics, Super Bowl, NBA
