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NBCUniversal Closes 2025-26 Upfront Negotiation Cycle With Highest Ad Sales Volume in History Ahead of Monumental Content Slate

Fueled by Live Programming, the Launch of the NBA and Streaming The Company Surpasses All Previous Upfronts

Upfront_2025

July 15, 2025

NBCUniversal today announced the close of its 2025-26 Upfront negotiation cycle, which generated the highest ad sales volume ever for its iconic slate of live and everyday programming. Fueled by its unrivaled sports and live events, the addition of the NBA, growth in Peacock, and advancements in technology, NBCUniversal saw record sales commitments overall and delivered its largest digital Upfront in history.  

NBCUniversal’s three major tentpoles – the Milan Cortina Olympics, Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup – drove additional record sales to the business for its ‘25-26 Upfront, outpacing all three of the property’s combined previous benchmarks. The company also saw record-breaking growth across key advertising categories into these cultural moments, underscoring the unmatched power of premium content to deliver meaningful results for marketers.

“This year, we went to the market earlier than ever to strategically align our powerful content slate with our clients’ goals. 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.”  

— Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal.

THE POWER OF LIVE  

  • NBCUniversal’s 2025-26 Upfront results highlight the universal power of live everyday moments, event programming, and experiential opportunities across languages and platforms. 
     
  • With the addition of the NBA, the company 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 and USA Network all benefited from the demand for sports, driving new clients and sports commitments for the properties. 
     
  • The company’s three biggest tentpole events, the Milan Cortina Olympics, Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup, drove additional record volume this Upfront, surpassing previous combined benchmarks at this time. 
     
  • 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.  
     
  • BravoCon continues to be one of the most in-demand events for marketers, attracting record-breaking interest across all key categories and prompting returning sponsors to commit larger investments to secure category exclusivity and elevate creative activations. 

PEACOCK FUELS LARGEST DIGITAL UPFRONT IN HISTORY  

  • Driven by its immersive ad innovations, low ad load and frictionless viewer experience, Peacock continues to be a powerful growth engine for NBCUniversal and its advertising partners and has delivered its highest Upfront to date.  
     
  • The streamer that was built for and with advertisers has seen consistent year-over-year growth, driving over 20% YoY increase and now representing nearly 1/3 of NBCUniversal’s total Upfront commitments.  
     
  • 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. 

EVERYDAY MOMENTS CONTINUE TO BREAK RECORDS 

  • The company has seen 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 spin-off of iconic news, sports, and entertainment brands and digital businesses, saw nearly a 10% increase in clients investing in its brands.

GROWTH IN ADVERTISER DIVERSIFICATION  

  • 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 2025-25 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 approximately 12%. The marketplace strength in Studios has fueled demand in the company’s studio-adjacent properties, including Fandango. 

In the ‘25-26 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.    

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