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Sponsors are becoming more visible at the Winter Olympics with product placement and arena shoutouts
The IOC approved venue naming rights and increased product placements to boost revenue, with 11 TOP sponsors involved at Milan Cortina 2026, following trends set by Paris 2024.
- The IOC approved a pilot to sell venue naming rights, and Anne-Sophie Voumard said Wednesday the committee is `opening up` partner opportunities with sponsors now able to `organically be present`.
- With TOP sponsors pressing for more value, the IOC seeks to boost its TOP sponsorship program after revenue fell to $560 million in 2025 as organizers prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
- Inside arenas, unusual activations include branded tissues in the figure skating Kiss-and-Cry area, a Powerade-branded cooler by freestyle skiers, and stacked sports-drink bottles in hockey penalty boxes, while broadcasts feature a Stellantis Freeze Cam and luxury-branded medal boxes.
- Existing sports-industry precedents show that Los Angeles 2028 organisers may pressure the IOC for more sponsor-friendly steps, with models like the O2 Arena and Honda Center suggesting practical options.
- Looking toward the future, experts say the IOC must balance new revenue with protecting the Olympic brand’s 3,000-year heritage, noting it is a `3,000-year-old brand` and that franchisor oversight must `protect that.
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26 Articles
Sponsors more visible at 2026 Olympics with product placement, arena shoutouts
Eileen Gu and all the other freestyle skiers wait for their scores by a large Powerade-branded cooler, then glide away without taking a drink. Bottles of the blue sports drink are stacked in hockey penalty boxes. Even the tissues in figure skating’s drama-packed “Kiss and Cry” area are branded. One way the Olympics generally stand out is by the absence of advertising on courses, rinks and slopes. But increasingly at the Milan Cortina Games, spon…
·Fort Worth, United States
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Associated Press News+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
Sponsors are becoming more visible at the Winter Olympics with product placement and arena shoutouts
Sponsors are showing up more and more inside Olympic venues at the Milan Cortina Games, even as TV viewers mostly still see the familiar “clean” look.
·United States
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Total News Sources26
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources are Center
63% Center
L 33%
C 63%
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