This weekend kicks off a historic month for NBCUniversal, which will broadcast the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game, all within a span of 17 days.
Why it matters: "Legendary February," as the network is calling it, will show off the unique staying power of the broadcaster, streamer and news provider.
- NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said during a press event last month the trifecta of events allows NBC Sports to do what it does best — "make big events even bigger."
Zoom in: NBC's "Legendary February" month begins with the 2026 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony in Milan on Feb. 6.
- Coverage of the Olympics will be balanced with the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, live from Santa Clara, California.
- Rolling coverage of the Olympics will continue into the next two weeks with the NBA All-Star weekend beginning Feb. 13 through Feb. 15 in Los Angeles.
Between the lines: NBC Sports host Mike Tirico will be at the center of all of the action, serving as the primetime host of the Winter Games from Milan while also covering Super Bowl LX and the NBA All-Star game.
- "For me, it's a personal highlight because it'll be the first time I call the Super Bowl," Tirico told Axios this summer in Cannes.
- "It is a thrill for all of us," Tirico added. "No media group, no sports division has ever had this kind of month ahead of them."
State of play: Milan will mark NBC's largest Winter Olympics operation ever, featuring more sports and events with nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 countries.
- NBC will mimic its successful Paris Olympics coverage strategy by showing live coverage on NBC and Peacock during the day and curated coverage during traditional prime time.
- Peacock will stream every event live and include replays. NBC will host at least five hours of daytime coverage and a three-hour primetime show. USA Network and CNBC will also broadcast some coverage.
- NBC is bringing back some special features on Peacock, like the"whip around" Gold Zone. It's also launching Rinkside Live for the Olympics and Courtside Live for the All-Star Game.
Follow the money: NBCUniversal's ad business is on track for a record-setting February. The company sold out Super Bowl and Olympic ad inventory months in advance.
- "We saw the momentum start to happen in the summer, before the upfront process even," Peter Lazarus, executive president of NBC Sports and Olympics, advertising and partnerships, told Axios.
- Brands are investing across platforms and across events. Lazarus said about 70% of its Super Bowl advertisers also bought the Olympics. He added that 40% of its advertisers buy across its tentpole sports programs.
- Lazarus said his team told marketers if they only buy either the Olympics or the Super Bowl they "lose about 30 to 40 million viewers from a reach perspective. Our ability to put those together in one-stop shopping ... really resonated with our partners."
- Ahead of the Super Bowl, almost every half-hour from 1pm ET to 6 pm ET will be presented by a brand. A vast majority are official Olympics partners such as Michelob Ultra, Xfinity and Starbucks, Lazarus said.
The big picture: "Legendary February" is a historic moment for NBCUniversal as it modernizes its legacy broadcast model for the streaming era.
- Peacock, launched in July 2020, has continued to grow through live sports, streaming games from the Premier League, Big 10 Football and soon Major League Baseball this spring. It also has the exclusive Spanish-language streaming rights for 2026 World Cup.
The bottom line: "Don't sleep," Tirico told Axios last summer when asked about survival tips.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Peacock debuts mobile multiview for Olympics on Super Bowl Sunday
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect Rinkside Live and Courtside Live are new features.
