How NBCU Scored with Super Bowl LX (and Beyond)
PJ Gasparini, SVP, Insights & Measurement, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships
Even with a low-scoring game, Super Bowl LX delivered massive viewership across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. WPP Media sat down with PJ Gasparini, SVP, Insights & Measurement, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships, for his take on the Big Game and the broader Legendary February ecosystem.
Overall, how did you feel about the viewership numbers? Any surprises there? Any interesting developments as the game progressed?
Super Bowl LX capped off a massive year for the NFL on NBC and Peacock with a historic performance. NBC Sports’ presentation of the Super Bowl set an all-time media record, peaking at 137.8 million viewers late in the second quarter — an incredible achievement given the competitive dynamics of the game. Despite the low score entering the second half, Americans showed up at unprecedented levels and continued to watch as the game unfolded. With nearly 125 million viewers on average, Super Bowl LX is now the most-watched telecast in the history of NBC.
Despite a challenging game, viewership remained remarkably resilient, resulting in NBC/Peacock driving the lifts in breakthrough, at scale, for custom marketing integrations in Super Bowl LX. Compared to competitive NFL broadcasts during Regular Season and Playoffs, NBCU delivered sponsors 33% lift in brand recall and +31% lift in brand opinion.
Additionally, Telemundo’s contribution to this historic audience was significant. Four years after becoming the first Spanish-language broadcast network to televise the Super Bowl in the U.S., Telemundo once again made history delivering 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl in Spanish-language history. Telemundo grew the audience by more than 1 million viewers when compared to Super Bowl LVIII on Univision—further reinforcing NBCUniversal’s unmatched ability to reach and grow audiences at scale.
Published reports indicated that you formulated a plan and took orders for a possible overtime BEFORE the game. Why was that?
Brand demand was incredibly strong for Super Bowl LX. We sold out earlier than ever. Advertisers’ willingness to commit to premium units underscored the continued health and momentum of the sports marketplace.
At the same time, our approach was rooted in preparation and ensuring we delivered a superb experience for our viewers and advertisers. After more than 50 years without needing extra time, two of the previous nine Super Bowl matchups went into overtime. This year, with two evenly matched teams, a close game was a real possibility. Being prepared to monetize every potential outcome ensured we were ready to maximize the moment under any scenario.
How receptive were brands to the package deals around Legendary February? A lot of great sports, but somewhat different vibes between Super Bowl and say, figure skating. Are participating brands using different types of creative?
NBCUniversal recognized early on that the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend and Olympic Games are not just adjacent tentpoles, but complementary events. Together, they create a powerful promotional flywheel where momentum flows in every direction. Primary research reinforced that idea:
75% of Super Bowl and All-Star viewers said hearing about the Olympics during those events made them more excited to watch the Games
71% of Olympics viewers said hearing about the Super Bowl or All-Star increased their excitement for those events
Brands saw the same opportunity and were eager to be part of it. This crossover didn’t just function as promotion but became a powerful platform for deeper brand storytelling. Advertisers are connecting with audiences consistently across these moments.
There is clear proof that this strategy continues to build over time. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, brands that re-aired their Super Bowl creative within Olympics coverage saw significant benefits. Those brands experienced +2x the message memorability compared with Super Bowl ads that ran elsewhere outside the Olympics — demonstrating just how these tentpoles build on one another.
We are also able to deliver unique value for clients by providing data-enabled tools to help maximize performance of Super Bowl and Olympics ad creative. The Creative Ad Engine — a suite of proprietary tools that analyzes ad performance based on historical data — was available across both properties for marketers ahead of the games, enabling smarter creative decisions at scale. That capability resonated with advertisers, driving increased interest this year, with more creative tested and optimized across both environments, than the last Winter Olympics/Super Bowl.
You led out to the Olympics rather than scripted or other programming? Why was that?
The Olympics remain one of the biggest properties in the marketplace — making it what audiences want to watch and where advertisers want to be.
That scale, paired with smart sequencing, delivered dual benefits. The programming took full advantage of the post-Super Bowl window with Primetime in Milan, hosted live from the field at Levi’s Stadium, generating a +73% viewership lift over the corresponding 2022 Beijing Olympics show that followed Super Bowl LVI. At the same time, it also sustained and accelerated momentum for the Winter Olympics with Sunday marking the largest Winter Olympics audience since Day 2 of Sochi 2014, and the highest Olympics day since the first Sunday of Paris 2024.
Additionally, on Peacock, the post-Super Bowl debut of “The Burbs,” became the highest Day 1 original debut ever on the platform following the Game.
Were there any key lessons learned from the Summer Olympics and how you used Peacock to broaden coverage that you applied to the Super Bowl or to the NBA All-Star game?
Peacock continues to prove that viewers will find premium content where, when and how they want it — with that behavior extending seamlessly to live sports. Since Peacock’s launch, monthly sports users on the platform have grown exponentially, underscoring both demand and comfort with streaming live events on the platform.
That growth is fueled not just by access, but by the cutting-edge innovations offered on the platform. More than half of basketball fans during the 2025-26 NBA season have agreed that the streamer’s innovations have improved the viewer experience. These enhancements are helping deepen engagement and create a more immersive experience for fans.
Building on the momentum, Peacock will continue to showcase new innovations on the biggest stages. During the Winter Olympics and NBA All‑Star Game, the platform debuted Rinkside/Courtside Live, a new viewing angle designed to bring fans even closer to the action. This follows successful in‑season innovations like On the Bench during Peacock NBA Monday, reinforcing Peacock’s role as a testing ground for formats that elevate both the fan experience and advertiser opportunity.
Feels like a lot has changed in four years with relation to streaming. How did this play out for Peacock?
Over the last four years, Peacock’s growth has been exceptional. As recently shared on Comcast’s earnings call, Peacock has reached 44 million paid subscribers and has seen +287% sports MAUs in the last 5 years.
Additionally, we know that the combined offering of the Milan Olympics and Super Bow LX drove Peacock to its biggest day ever, with platform consumption up +32% from its previous record (the day of the Peacock Wild Card Exclusive in January 2024).
This underscores Peacock’s role as a core pillar of our tentpole moments, but also as an everyday engine for sports consumption. The platform delivered Sunday Night Football’s most streamed season ever with an average minute audience of 2.5 million. Peacock is foundational to the NBA on NBC, serving as the simulcast home for NBC’s national Sunday and Monday night telecasts, as well as the exclusive destination for Peacock’s Coast to Coast on Tuesday. Across that portfolio, streaming now accounts for nearly one-third of total NBA consumption setting the standard for NBC Sports’ cross-platform distribution model that will soon be mirrored when the MLB launches on NBC and Peacock this spring.
While the Super Bowl may come to NBC and Peacock every four years, Peacock is with us every day — powering our biggest tentpole moments and delivering premium sports nearly every Sunday.