NEW YORK—Despite widespread concerns about a soft advertising market, NBCUniversal said it closed its 2025-26 upfront negotiation cycle with a record ad sales volume.
The media giant said that sports and live events, the addition of the NBA, growth in Peacock, and advancements in technology were key factors in the record sales commitments overall.
It also reported that it delivered its largest digital upfront in history.
NBCU did not report specific numbers, aside from saying it brought in nearly $1 billion in programmatic investments alone for the 2025-25 upfront cycle.
More specifically, NBCU reported that three major tentpole events—the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl and Telemundo’s Spanish-language telecasts of the FIFA World Cup—drove additional record sales to the business for its 2025-26 upfront, outpacing all three of the property’s combined previous benchmarks.
“This year, we went to the market earlier than ever to strategically align our powerful content slate with our clients’ goals,” said Mark Marshall, chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “The response has been extraordinary, and we are incredibly grateful for our partners’ trust and collaboration. In a year set to redefine industry benchmarks, ad-supported reach remains the most influential force in media —and no one delivers it like NBCU. With a cross-platform strategy supercharged by cutting-edge technology, we’re proud to engage 286 million people monthly—setting a new standard and delivering the most successful Upfront in our company’s history.”
The company also reported that with the addition of the NBA, NBCU delivered its strongest sports upfront in history, adding 20% new clients over last year and securing a 45% year-over-year increase in volume beyond the big three tentpoles. NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Golf Channel and USA Network all benefited from the demand for sports, driving new clients and sports commitments for the properties.
In addition, with a renewed focus on live events in 2026, as well as the Spanish-language presentation of the FIFA World Cup, Telemundo has experienced its best upfront to date, already exceeding the revenue for the previous World Cup with over 10 months until kickoff.
On the digital front, NBCU reported that Peacock delivered its highest Upfront to date. The streamer has seen consistent year-over-year growth, driving over 20% YoY increase and now representing nearly one-third of NBCUniversal’s total upfront commitments, NBCU reported.
In addition, client demand for Peacock’s ad performance has propelled NBCUniversal’s strength in its overall digital footprint, leading to the company’s largest digital Upfront in history.
According to NBCU, other highlights included:
- The company reported a resurgence in broadcast across news, sports and entertainment, nearly 15% year-over-year driven in part by new opportunities with the NBA. Over 25% of NBCUniversal’s NBA advertisers will be new to broadcast this year.
- Bravo has continued to see steady growth over the past five years, representing nearly 20% of the company's entire entertainment demand across broadcast and cable.
- The portfolio of networks that represent Versant, Comcast's planned spinoff of cable news, sports and entertainment brands and digital businesses, saw nearly a 10% increase in client investment.
- The company generated 30% net-new small-medium business (SMB) clients this upfront cycle, signaling a shift in how this sector is prioritizing inventory in the upfront timeframe.
- Advertisers with NBCUniversal are increasingly moving beyond standard age and gender demos, with nearly 60% of investments now transacted on advanced audiences.
- NBCUniversal’s robust programmatic business—which has included sports and live events since 2023—continues to see strong demand, bringing in nearly $1B in programmatic investments alone for the 2025-26 upfront cycle.
- The company saw record revenue growth across key categories this upfront, including retail, restaurants, auto, travel and financial services—which all grew by about 12%. The marketplace strength in studios has fueled demand in the company’s studio-adjacent properties, including Fandango.
- In the 2025-26 Upfront negotiations, NBCUniversal sold the company's entire portfolio across linear and streaming under its One Platform banner. The company will continue to represent domestic Versant advertising inventory, including CNBC, E!, Golf Channel, MSNBC, Oxygen, Syfy, USA, and digital platforms, for the next upfront cycle.
