• by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday

Google announced new biddable capabilities for programmatic advertising inventory access to NBCUniversal's Olympic Winter Games through its Display & Video 360 platform.

The games “kick off this February as the world’s top athletes take to the winter sports stage,” Marta Martinez, managing director for Americas at Google Marketing Platform, wrote in a blog post earlier this week.

The games take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy. NBCUniversal has already reported it has sold out its ad inventory for the games due to "unprecedented demand."

The offering provides advertisers with programmatic, biddable access to NBCU's premium connected TV (CTV) inventory for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, combining the reach of live sports with digital targeting and measurement tools.

Advertisers can combine Google's audience signals with NBCU's live sports CTV inventory to target engaged fans on the big screen.

The platform enables brands to reach viewers on television and re-engage with them across other Google platforms such as search and YouTube.

Cross-device conversion tracking that connects CTV ad impressions to actions from website visitors or purchases can provide advertisers with visibility, driving real-time return on investment (ROI). It also takes into consideration that CTV devices operate as shared household items.

The platform will feature curated inventory packages through a redesigned marketplace interface that is intended to streamline the activation process for live sports advertising campaigns, according to Google. The new design reduces the steps needed to launch campaigns to a few clicks, according to Google.

Google’s initiative aims to make live sports advertising more measurable, controllable, and accessible for brands.

Beyond advertising, Google supports the 2026 Olympic Winter Games through its role as an official partner for the LA28 Games and Team USA. It will integrate a range of technologies to improve on the overall experience for fans, athletes, and organizers. 

AI will become a major tool during the games -- from analyzing workouts for Team USA athletes as they prepare for the Milan Cortina Olympics and Los Angeles, to providing real-time insights on complex sports data, and measuring viewership in NBCUniversal’s coverage. 

Gemini Enterprise and Google Workspace will also serve as key LA28 Games tools for planning and logistics, helping to solve the massive, real-world puzzle of managing more than 70,000 volunteers and members, according to a post Google shared in October last year.