How Programmatic - And AI - Took Over The 2026 Winter Olympics | AdExchanger

"At the Paris Olympics in 2024, which was almost like a practice run, programmatic buying was only available through The Trade Desk. This year, NBCU worked with seven buy-side platforms: TTD again, Google's DV360, FreeWheel's Buyer Cloud (formerly Beeswax), Amazon DSP, Yahoo DSP, StackAdapt and Viant."

"According to NBCU, 200 net-new brands that had never advertised during the Olympics before bought programmatically during this year's games. These upgrades helped create a better livestreaming experience for both advertisers and viewers, Ryan McConville, NBCU's chief product officer and EVP of ad products and solutions, told AdExchanger."

"Large brands can be especially strict about their expectations of exclusivity, especially during major cultural moments like the Olympics. If an airline, for instance, is a title sponsor of the Games, separation from other airline ads may not be enough. That sponsor might even demand separation from any commercials that simply include an airplane in the creative."

NBCU significantly expanded programmatic advertising capabilities for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, building on lessons from Paris 2024. The network partnered with seven buy-side platforms including The Trade Desk, Google DV360, FreeWheel's Buyer Cloud, Amazon DSP, Yahoo DSP, StackAdapt, and Viant, plus Comcast's Universal Ads self-serve platform. This expansion attracted 200 net-new brands to Olympic advertising. NBCU implemented AI for creative review and real-time campaign optimization to enhance the livestreaming experience. However, managing category exclusivity requirements posed challenges, as major sponsors demand strict separation from competitor ads and sometimes even from creative featuring related elements, requiring sophisticated guardrails and bid verification systems.

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