NBC’s New NBA Coverage Lures American Express, McDonald’s as Sponsors

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Madison Avenue Embraces NBA Programming on NBCUniversal

American Express, State Farm, McDonald’s, Kia, and Wingstop are among the top sponsors supporting new NBA programming on NBCUniversal as part of an 11-year rights deal. The deal will showcase NBA games on three different nights of the week on either the NBC broadcast network or the Peacock streaming service.

Peter Lazarus, executive vice president of advertising and partnerships for NBC Sports & Olympics, stated, “The demand for live sports over the last year has been unprecedented across our properties and the NBA is no exception. Advertisers were eager to invest across linear, streaming, and digital platforms, leading to our near sell-out of ad space.”

NBCUniversal has an exciting lineup of NBA nights planned for the upcoming months. Starting October 27, Peacock will stream up to three NBA games on Mondays throughout the regular season, with a half-hour studio program preceding game coverage. On October 28, NBC will present doubleheaders on Tuesday nights, with games tailored for different time zones and streaming live on Peacock.

Following the conclusion of NBC’s Sunday-night NFL package, “Sunday Night Basketball” will launch on both NBC and Peacock on February 1, 2023. The schedule may have some interruptions due to events like the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The addition of NBA programming to the NBC schedule has attracted millions of dollars in advertising revenue that were previously directed towards Warner Bros. Discovery properties. NBCU, Amazon, and Disney secured new NBA rights deals that will last until the 2036-37 season. NBCU reported a 15% increase in upfront ad commitments following the new NBA rights deal, with a quarter of NBA sponsors being new to traditional linear TV.

Over 170 different advertisers have signed up to support NBA games on NBC, with ad inventory nearly sold out. American Express will be the official halftime sponsor for all NBA games, targeting their passionate sports-loving customer base. Kia, McDonald’s, State Farm, and Wingstop will also sponsor various NBA programming nights on NBCUniversal.

It’s clear that Madison Avenue is fully embracing the NBA programming on NBCUniversal, with a lineup of top sponsors ready to engage with audiences through exciting basketball content.