NBCUniversal is looking to have a Super upfront, even amid the current economic uncertainty.
In this year’s annual advertising showcase, the Comcast-owned company is touting the 20th year of Sunday Night Football, the return of the NBA to NBC, and the return of BravoCon, as well as traditional holiday events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
NBCU will also have a busy February that will feature the 2026 Winter Olympics (starts Feb. 6), Super Bowl 60 (Feb. 8), and the NBA All-Star Game (weekend of Feb. 13), all happening within two weeks of each other. Meanwhile, the summer brings the Spanish-language broadcast of the World Cup on Telemundo.
With all of that happening amongst NBC’s upcoming 100th anniversary—and Peacock continuing to grow its subscribers and revenue—Karen Kovacs, NBCU’s president of advertising and partnerships, told ADWEEK that the company is expecting a “monumental” year.
“Content has always been a main differentiator for NBCUniversal,” Kovacs said. “But this upcoming year—I would say two years—will be unlike any other, and we have this massive opportunity.”
However, like all publishers heading into upfront season, NBCU has to deal with the ongoing economic upheaval largely brought on by the tariffs enacted under the Trump administration, which could have a wide-ranging impact from increased production costs to reduced ad budgets for the TV industry.
In an interview with ADWEEK ahead of NBCU’s upfront presentation on May 12, Kovacs previewed NBCU’s upfront and answered how the company is approaching the current macroeconomic uncertainty.
ADWEEK: NBCU is showcasing a lot of tentpoles this year, including the Super Bowl and the World Cup on Telemundo. How does the company approach those priorities to give each its proper due?
Kovacs: Internally, we have been working across our IP through Symphony, which is our known marketing nomenclature for how we work across the company, but I think we’ve done a great job. We consider ourselves storytellers in the marketing community. No one is better. We can carry IP through our ecosystem, whether from the theater to the living room, streaming to parks, and clients are excited.
