NBCUniversal Unveils SXSW 2026 Programming and Executive Lineup
At SXSW 2026 returning this March, NBCUniversal's Creative Partners and Leadership will showcase the investment in content and technology across the company.
February 26, 2026
For 100 Years, NBCUniversal has delivered stories and moments that spark fandoms, build communities, and invite audiences into the worlds they love like Bravo, Late Night including Saturday Night Live, Pay-One Movies, TODAY and Sports including World Cup, NFL, NBA and MLB – to name a few.
We continue to invest in content and technology to shape a more interactive future for viewers while creating meaningful engagement and maximizing reach for brands across platforms.
With Peacock, we are ready for the now and the future with an unmatched viewing experience and ad innovations that drive deeper engagement. Peacock taps into the power of fandoms with richer, more immersive opportunities for audiences to actively participate, connect, and engage in what matters most – today and for the next 100 years.
Join NBCUniversal at the Southwest Film & TV Festival this March, featuring the programming below.
NBCUniversal's Executive Speakers at SXSW 2026
- Matt Strauss – Chairman, NBCUniversal, Media Group
- Frances Berwick – Chairman, Bravo & Peacock Unscripted, NBCUniversal
- Karen Kovacs – President, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
- Ann Scheiner – Executive Vice President, Agency Partnerships, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
- Michael Reidy – Senior Vice President, SMB Growth, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
- Sharon Vuong – Executive Vice President, Unscripted Programming, NBC
- Jennifer Gwartz – Executive Vice President, UCP
- Vivian Cannon – Executive Vice President of Drama Development, Universal Television
- Margaret Schatzel – Senior Vice President, Global Scripted Series, Universal International Studios
NBCUniversal's programming lineup at SXSW 2026 on Friday, March 13
Keynote: The Big Picture with Steven Spielberg Live from SXSW
Time & Location: 1pm-2pm at Hilton Austin Downtown, Hilton Grand Ballroom
Description: Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is joined by Sean Fennessey, Host of The Big Picture podcast, for a wide-ranging conversation about his extraordinary body of work, the future of movies and moviegoing, and his upcoming film, Disclosure Day. Across Spielberg's 60+ year career, he has frequently returned to stories about alien races, the threat of technology to the natural world, the mystery of space, and social panic. With Disclosure Day, he once again ventures into the unknown.
Variety's True Crime TV Fan Favorites
Featuring: UCP's Michael D. Fuller (Murdaugh: Death in the Family) and Patrick Macmanus (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy)
Time & Location: 2:25pm-3:05pm at Assembly Hall
Description: Variety will host the first-ever True Crime Summit, presented by Investigation Discovery (ID), spotlighting the crime genre phenomenon. The full day event will explore the cultural obsession with stories of mystery, justice and deception that continue to dominate film, television, and audio storytelling.
Focus Features' Screening: "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist"
Time & Location: 3:15pm-4:58pm at State Theatre
Description: A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created.
Focus Features' The F-Stop Experience
Time & Location: Thursday 3/12 (12pm-6pm), Friday 3/13 (12pm-6pm), and Saturday 3/14 (12pm-10pm) at Congress Ave (Across from State Theatre).
Description: Focus Features' branded airstream F-Stop will be up and running with exclusive Focus Features merch, giveaways and exclusive posters, trailers, and art from Focus films.
NBCUniversal's programming lineup at SXSW 2026 on Saturday, March 14
The Female Quotient: The Business of Storytelling: Meaning That Scales
Featuring: Ann Scheiner, Executive Vice President, Agency Partnerships, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal; Shannon Shae Montoya, Vice President, Head of B2B Marketing, Yahoo; and Yunice Amir, Head of Communications, North America, Moét Hennessy
Time & Location: 11:30am-12:30pm at Waller Creek Boathouse
Description: Stories are the connective tissue between brands and the people they serve. In a world saturated with content, the stories that land are the ones that resonate and build momentum. This conversation brings together leaders using narrative to turn resonance into influence and growth.
Unscripted Gold: Turning Real Life Into Global Hits
Featuring: Sharon Vuong, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Programming, NBC; Ryan O'Dowd President of Unscripted, BBC Studios; and Jilly Pearce, Senior Vice President of Unscripted Programming, ABC & Hulu
Time & Location: 11:30am-12:30pm at Omni Downtown, Pennybacker Room
Description: What does it take to turn raw, real-life moments into a binge-worthy, culture-shifting unscripted hit? From the rise of reality competition shows to docuseries that dominate streaming charts, the unscripted genre is having a serious moment. But while the content may be "real," the strategy behind it is anything but improvised. Join Ryan O'Dowd, President of Unscripted at BBC Studios, Sharon Vuong, EVP of Unscripted Programming at NBC, Jilly Pearce, SVP of Unscripted for ABC & Hulu and Emily Longeretta, Sr. TV Features Editor at Variety, as they dive into the magic of making unscripted content that travels globally. We'll explore how formats are born, why authenticity matters more than ever, and how producers are adapting to shorter attention spans, TikTok culture, and the binge-all-in-one-weekend model. Whether it's turning everyday people into breakout stars or local stories into international sensations, this panel pulls back the curtain on what works, what flops, and what's next in unscripted.
"It's In Development" Creating Great TV for Global Platforms
Featuring: Jennifer Gwartz Executive Vice President, UCP, Vivian Cannon, Executive Vice President of Drama Development, Universal Television; and Margaret Schatzel, Senior Vice President, Global Scripted Series, Universal International Studios
Time & Location: 2:30pm-3:30pm at Omni Downtown, Bridge Ballroom A & B
Description: From assessing pitches to staffing writers' rooms to offering script notes and more, Universal Studio Group's television executives dive-deep into their development processes and share what makes for a strong, mutually advantageous relationship between creators and a studio. Gain insights from the people behind recent & upcoming series, including The Five-Star Weekend, Ponies, We Were Liars, Cape Fear, Too Much, All Her Fault and many more.
The Female Quotient: The Business of Fandom: Where Sports is Headed Next
Featuring: Mike Reidy Senior Vice President, SMB Growth, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal; Courtney McHugh, Vice President, Marketing & Sports Marketing; Kendra Scott Lindsay Franke, Group President, Ipsos North America
Time & Location: 3:30pm-4:30pm at Waller Creek Boathouse
Description: Sports is no longer confined to game day, it’s a year-round cultural and commercial force. As fan expectations evolve, leagues, teams, and brands must rethink how they show up across platforms and communities. Hear how leaders are expanding audiences, deepening loyalty, and unlocking new revenue streams that last.
Focus Features' Screening: "Obsession"
Time & Location: 7pm-8:48pm at State Theatre
Description: After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
NBCUniversal's programming lineup at SXSW 2026 on Sunday, March 15
NBCUniversal will be the sponsor for SXSW Partner Programming at The Thompson Hotel
Play with Peacock
Time & Location: 10am-6pm at The Thompson Hotel – 2nd Floor
Description: Get hands-on time with new features coming to Peacock.
Inside the Villa: How Love Island USA Really Gets Made
Featuring: Ariana Madix, Host, Love Island USA and Ben Thursby-Palmer, Showrunner & Executive Producer, Love Island USA
Time & Location: 10am-11am at Thompson Hotel – Red River Ballroom
Off Script: The Creatives Behind The 'Burbs & The Gilded Age
Featuring: Celeste Hughey, Creator, Writer & Executive Producer, The 'Burbs and Sonja Warfield, Writer & Executive Producer, The Gilded Age
Time & Location: 11:30am-12:30pm at Thompson Hotel – Red River Ballroom
The Next Evolution of XR & Shared Realities in Entertainment
Featuring: Candice Afia, Sr. Director, Creative Innovation, Universal Pictures
Time & Location: 11:30am-12:30pm at Omni Downtown, Bridge Ballroom AB
Description: Iconic worlds are being reimagined across XR and shared-reality formats, giving audiences new ways to step inside the stories they love. Bringing together leaders from Meta, Universal Film, Nexus Studios and Cosm, we'll explore how spatial storytelling is evolving as major IP moves into these new environments – and what's ahead as these mediums step from the bleeding-edge into the mainstream. The panel will unpack what audiences are responding to, how scalable business models are emerging across platforms, and the new creative opportunities this opens up for worldbuilders.
Beyond Streaming: Matt Strauss and Andy Cohen on Building Communities and Driving Culture in the Next Era of Entertainment
Featuring: Matt Strauss, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group and Andy Cohen, Host & Executive Producer, Watch What Happens Live
Time & Location: 2:30pm-3pm at JW Marriott
Branded Storytelling: From Pop Culture Conversation to Business Conversion
Featuring: Karen Kovacs, President, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal and Luis Restrepo, Chief Marketing Officer, US, Taco Bell
Time & Location: 3pm-3:30pm at Thompson Hotel – Red River Ballroom
Behind the Scenes of the Fandom Economy
Featuring: Andy Cohen, Host & Executive Producer, Watch What Happens Live and Frances Berwick, Chairman, Bravo & Peacock Unscripted, NBCUniversal
Time & Location: 4pm-5pm at Thompson Hotel – Red River Ballroom
About NBCU at SXSW 2026
The SXSW Film & TV Festival & Conference is known for its high-caliber and diverse program of film, TV, and XR projects, and serves as a global gathering for smart, enthusiastic, and influential audiences that drive conversations for months to come.
Learn more about how NBCUniversal showed up at SXSW 2025 here.
