The opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday Eastern time in the U.S. For investors, the Olympics will be a high-profile event for broadcasters, streaming platforms, advertising, sports apparel, beverages, and some Italian companies.
The Milano–Cortina Olympics runs from February 6–22, 2026, with NBC holding exclusive U.S. rights. The NBCUniversal property (CMCSA) will distribute coverage across NBC, Peacock, USA, and CNBC while pairing the Games with Super Bowl LX coverage, giving it one of the largest single-event ad platforms ever for a single weekend. Notably, Olympic ad inventory was sold out early, and Peacock viewership has already moved higher in the lead-up to the competition. In Europe, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) can leverage Eurosport and Discovery+ under a long-term IOC deal alongside free-to-air exposure from EBU members such as the BBC.
On the sponsorship side, long-standing Olympic partners like Procter & Gamble (PG), Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), Nike (NKE), and Alibaba (BABA) will have global brand exposure for their tailored campaigns.
Milano–Cortina also features a deep roster of Italian corporate sponsors, including Enel, Eni, Intesa Sanpaolo, Poste Italiane, Leonardo, Stellantis (STLA), TIM, EA7 Emporio Armani, Pirelli, ITA Airways, Technogym, and Esselunga. Analysts expect a modest tailwind for the local hospitality industry that extends beyond the Olympics.
In apparel and fashion, Ralph Lauren (RL) outfits Team USA, Lululemon (LULU) outfits Team Canada, and EA7 Emporio Armani will support the Italian delegations. Notably, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) will supply USA Curling uniforms and sell replica versions to fans, while Amer Sports’ (AS) Salomon is set to provide extensive volunteer gear. Kim Kardashian’s Skims (SKIMS) will also be in the spotlight with a fashion collaboration tied to the Olympics.
Sports betting operators such as FanDuel (FLUT), BetMGM (MGM) (GMVHF), and DraftKings (DKNG) will see a Q1 boost in betting volume, with last year’s quarter not having a comparable event. DraftKings (DKNG) is considered by analysts to be well-positioned given its NBC media partnership.
In the travel sector, KeyBanc Capital Markets called out the Olympics as an incremental positive for Airbnb (ABNB), Expedia (EXPE), and Booking Holdings (BKNG).
RBC Capital Markets expects a boost from Visa (V) on its view that “value-added services revenue growth” will outpace broad consumer spending trends.
Meanwhile, Figs (FIGS) is tied into the storyline of Lindsay Vonn attempting to battle through an ACL injury to compete in alpine skiing events through a partnership.