National Broadcasting Company Inc. NBC Sports

NBCUniversal Exceeds Advertising Expectations for 2025-2026 NBA Season

Strategic Insights

Oct 6, 2025 — 1 min read

The 2025-2026 NBA season is just around the corner, with the highly anticipated return of the league to NBC and Peacock. In a significant milestone, NBCUniversal has sold out nearly all of its inventory for the upcoming season, with over 170 partners investing in the property. This impressive feat marks a new era in sports broadcasting, with the NBA's return to NBCUniversal broaching new partnerships and sparking interest from first-time brands.

Key Takeaways:

NBCUniversal has exceeded advertising expectations for the 2025-2026 NBA season, with nearly 170 partners investing in the property and nearly all inventory sold out.
The NBA's return to NBCUniversal has broadened the company's portfolio-wide partnerships, with over 20% of advertisers being new to NBCUniversal.
The company has seen strong demand from advertisers, with over 70% investing cross-platform, and over 30% investing solely in digital inventory.
Major brands such as American Express, DraftKings, and Kia have secured key positions as official sponsors, with American Express serving as the Official Halftime Sponsor.
NBCUniversal has sold out key positions for the season, including the Official Preesenting Sponsor of Tuesday's NBA Coast to Coast and the sponsor of the Tuesday NBA Showtime studio show.
The company's programmatic business continues to drive strong demand, with programmatic investments in college basketball up over 100% YoY.

Statistics:

170 partners have invested in the property, with nearly all inventory sold out.
Over 20% of advertisers are new to NBCUniversal as a result of the NBA's return.
70% of clients have invested cross-platform, demonstrating the importance of a multi-platform approach.
30% of overall NBA investments have gone solely towards digital inventory.
Programmatic investments in college basketball have increased by over 100% year-over-year.

Sources:

Comcast Corporation press release, "NBCUniversal Exceeds Advertising Expectations for 2025-2026 NBA Season".

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