YouTube and NBCUniversal are doubling down on creator-led Olympic storytelling for Milano Cortina 2026 after Paris proved how strongly younger viewers gravitate toward digital personalities. Top YouTubers will chronicle the journeys of 40 Team USA athletes, with unprecedented access inside trials, training environments, and even the Athlete Village. Nearly half of global sports fans—and 59% of adults ages 18 to 44—follow sports influencers, while YouTube captured 17% of all global Olympic engagement in 2024. For marketers, creators now sit at the center of Olympic discovery, highlights, and cultural relevance, making YouTube indispensable to Games-era planning.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their TV and CTV ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

NBCUniversal’s Peacock reduced losses to $217 million in Q3 compared with $436 million in 2024, but struggled to boost revenues and attract new subscribers—raising questions about the platform’s advertising value. Peacock shows potential for the future as it works to build its portfolio and partnerships beyond live sports—but stagnant subscriber growth for two quarters means brands should remain cautious.

Streaming ad revenues continued a growth trajectory in Q3 while national linear TV spend shrunk, per a recent MoffetNathanson Research forecast. A successful advertising strategy will understand the increasing need to invest in cross-platform campaigns in the digital age.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is evolving into a dynamic, data-rich medium that blends physical and digital engagement. Speaking at Advertising Week New York, OAAA’s Anna Bager and Vistar Media’s Lucy Markowitz described how AI, measurement, and social media are redefining OOH’s role in omnichannel marketing. Digital formats now make up over 36% of total OOH revenues, while programmatic buying and AI-driven creative optimization are transforming static screens into responsive canvases. Partnerships like TikTok’s “Out of Phone” show how viral content can extend into public spaces. The next phase of OOH will be defined not by size, but by intelligence and interactivity.

Peacock is striking partnerships to grow its audience: The streamer is now available via Walmart+, adding millions of potential viewers ahead of a crucial year.

Peacock is joining Prime Video’s ecosystem, giving viewers access to the service as an add-on with Prime subscriptions, per an Amazon announcement. The ad-free version of Comcast’s streaming platform will cost the same on Prime Video as it would individually. Peacock joins the likes of Paramount+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max in becoming part of Prime’s ecosystem. Peacock’s integration into Prime Video turns a mid-tier streamer struggling with profitability into part of a premium bundle, giving advertisers access to a larger, more engaged audience part of Amazon’s high-value ecosystem.

The news: Paramount struck a $7.7 billion, 7-year agreement with UFC in its first big move after closing its merger with Skydance. The deal will see all 43 live annual UFC events streamed exclusively in the US on Paramount+, while select UFC events will be simultaneously aired on CBS. Our take: With its UFC deal, Paramount is taking the first step toward regaining audience share and ad spend post-Skydance merger, banking on live sports’ steady draw for viewers and marketers.

The news: Paramount reported mixed quarterly earnings and upfront results, underscoring the limitations of a content portfolio lacking major sports rights to drive engagement. The company’s biggest blow came from streaming service Paramount+, which lost 1.3 million subscribers in Q2—something the company attributed to “the expiration of an international hard bundle deal.” Our take: Paramount’s results depict a company capable of staying afloat, but struggling to build offerings that drive increased viewership and advertiser investment—necessitating that the company build its sports offerings to grow as competitors dive head-first into sports programming.

The news: Despite a surge in sports advertising and streaming, Walt Disney Co. failed to surpass last year’s upfront volume, citing a result that was “consistent with last year,” per a press release. Streaming accounted for over 40% of the company’s total upfront volume, on par with 2024, while sports advertising commitments across digital and linear were worth around $4 billion. Our take: As live sports viewers remain consistent and audiences increasingly turn to digital, Disney’s future growth depends on how well it can transform its streaming offerings into hubs for live sports.

NBCU looks to secure MLB rights after ESPN backs out: The deal would position NBCU as a one-stop shop for sports, enhancing its value for advertisers.

This is the first installment of our “UK Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

Interest in women's sports continues to rise: Media investment and NIL rules drive opportunities for advertisers and growing fan engagement.

With sweeping device access and app control, it’s looking to give everyone AI agents—if trust issues don’t hold it back.

The traditional TV bundle will further decay as more live sports embrace streaming.

Auto spent big on TV ads in Q3: Football and The Olympics reversed quarter after quarter of spending slumps from a one-time legacy stalwart.

Apple, Google, and Meta pull services, isolating Russians and shrinking revenue opportunities for creators and advertisers.

Peacock soars but has catching up to do: Olympics gave the streamer its best month ever in August, but viewership was still dwarfed by Netflix and YouTube.

In today’s episode, host Bill Fisher is joined by Paul Briggs, Man-Chung Cheung, and Carina Perkins to discuss the broadcast winners of the Paris Games, how Olympic viewing habits are changing, and what to keep in mind when advertising during the event.