- 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.
‘Primetime in Milan’ will be hosted by Mike Tirico, who will also handle play-by-play duties for the Super Bowl two days later. Rebecca Lowe will host the Olympics in the daytime, and Maria Taylor is tapped as the late-night host, part of the 82 commentators assigned to cover the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.
After the Lombardi Trophy is handed to the winning team in California, Tirico will host the primetime Olympics show on the field at Levi’s Stadium before flying to Italy to start his on-site hosting duties.
“Nothing brings America together like the Super Bowl. No two weeks bring America together like the Olympics. We are blessed to have both,” said Tirico, who will become the first U.S. broadcaster to call the Super Bowl and host a Winter Games in the same year.
The streaming service Peacock, which has 41 million paid subscribers in the United States and will broadcast more than 7,600 hours of live content in 2026, is also a key part of the plan. Peacock will offer fan-first features like “Rinkside Live” and “Courtside Live,” which will introduce several curated alternate camera angles, such as inside the coaching areas for figure skaters and on team benches in ice hockey.
While the Olympics and the Super Bowl are the headliners, pro basketball aims to make its mark this month.
It begins with the start of “Sunday Night Basketball” on Feb. 1, with the Los Angeles Lakers battling the New York Knicks, followed by the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Denver Nuggets.
The NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15 will introduce a new format featuring a U.S. vs. World All-Star Game robin-round tournament, with two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players, and four 12-minute games.
“Courtside Live” will debut during the All-Star Game. Some features include “Star Spotlight,” which highlights standout players on the court, and “Home Team” or “Away Team” views that focus on each team’s bench to capture player reactions.
The closing ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 22 will be followed by a “Sunday Night Basketball” clash between the Boston Celtics and the Lakers.
“Only NBC can pull this off,” said Mike Cavanagh, the co-CEO of NBCUniversal parent Comcast. “Getting ready for the month ahead feels like getting ready for a season ahead. We know we can do it. But you still have butterflies. You still have nerves. This is big time,”
