Warner bros. Discovery and X: Reimagining the Olympic Fan Experience
As the countdown begins for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is expanding its digital footprint through a landmark partnership with X, announced on January 29. The collaboration will bring a full-scale coverage of Eurosport and TNT Sports’ premium Winter Olympics programming directly to audiences across Europe and the U.K., beginning February 6, 2026.
But beyond distribution, this partnership signals something more strategic: a redefinition of how sports fandom, social media, and brand integration intersect at scale.
Under the agreement, X will host exclusive Winter Olympics content, from behind-the-scenes access to highlight clips, across high-engagement feeds. Fans of figure skating, ice hockey, snowboarding, ski jumping, and speed skating can expect a curated, real-time digital destination designed to amplify conversation as events fold.
With Olympic discourse already trending upward (the Paris Games reportedly generated 40% more impressions than Tokyo 2020), the timing is deliberate. The appetite for live sports dialogue is growing, and platforms that can seamlessly connect official broadcast content with social conversation are positioned to win.
Mitchell Smith, Global Head of Content Partnerships at X, emphasized that this collaboration aims to immerse users “at the heart of the action and viral frenzy” of the Games, framing X not just as a commentary platform, but as an extension of the live broadcast experience.
From a brand partnerships perspective, this deal is particularly compelling.
Through X’s Amplify offering, advertisers will gain exclusive access to WBD’s in-game and event clips, prioritized across high-traffic feeds and localized 11 European markets. This creates a powerful opportunity for brands to integrate into premium sports moments, not through interruption, but through contextual alignment.
For marketers, that means:
· Faster access to viral Olympic moments
· Premium sports inventory tied to trusted broadcasters
· Localized reach across key European territories
· Authentic placements within real-time cultural conversations
The result? Brands positioned at the epicenter of one of the world’s most emotionally charged, globally unifying events.
For production companies and brand strategists, this move underscores a broader industry shift. Major sporting events are no longer confined to broadcast windows; they are multi-platform ecosystems. Rights holders are increasingly designing partnerships that merge premium content with high-engagement digital communities, creating monetizable touchpoints that extend far beyond linear coverage.
WBD and X’s collaboration around the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics is more than a content deal, it’s a case study in how sports, social platforms, and brand integration are converging to create a new kind of Olympic stage.
And for advertisers, the message is clear: the Games may happen on the ice and snow, but the conversation, and the opportunity, lives online.
Sources:
https://media.wbdsports.com/post/x-partners-with-warner-bros-discovery-to-amplify-milano-cortina-
https://deadline.com/2026/01/warner-bros-discovery-partners-x-tiktok-winter-olympics-1236699994/
Brand Integration & Partnerships Executive - Nada