WBD Makes Streaming Choice Central to Its Winter Olympics Campaign




Campaign Snapshot




▶Brand: Warner Bros. Discovery

▶Campaign Title: “Your Olympics. Your Way.”

▶Launch Date: January 2026

▶Production Partner: Bart Timmer

▶Core Platforms: TV and Social Media

▶Primary Focus: Curling

Warner Bros. Discovery’s new anthem spot for the Winter Olympics 2026 in Milano Cortina finds tension in one of the Games’ quietest sports.

The 60-second film centers on curling, unfolding inside a small Alpine village gathered to watch a hometown athlete compete.

Created entirely by WBD’s in-house creative team and directed by Bart Timmer, the spot opens on shared anticipation before a familiar frustration hits when the broadcast is abruptly cut.

The disruption lands emotionally, grounding the story in a collective experience rather than platform mechanics.

Relief arrives when the curling feed is restored via streaming, reframing access as the point of resolution.

"This time, fans get to follow the action wherever it takes them," WBD Sports Europe Marketing VP David Bernard-Bret said in a statement.

I’m especially proud that this campaign was conceived and crafted entirely in-house by our brilliant creative and marketing teams. It’s a true reflection of our passion for sport, storytelling, and putting fans first."

The spot anchors the “Your Olympics. Your Way.” platform as WBD prepares for Milano Cortina 2026, its first coverage in the new Olympic rights cycle.

Curling as the Story Device

The film lingers on faces and reactions as locals gather around a shared screen, from a proud grandmother to neighbors watching in silence.

Curling serves as the narrative hinge, chosen for its pace and tension, allowing emotion to build through stillness and anticipation.

When coverage cuts to alpine skiing, the interruption feels personal, mirroring a frustration familiar to modern sports viewers.

The eventual return to curling through streaming positions the sport as a symbol of choice, elevating a niche event into a narrative payoff.

This approach contrasts with Winter Olympics advertising that centers on individual star power.

Compared with, for instance, NBC’s Jordan Stolz and Glen Powell spot, which leans into spectacle and personality, WBD places shared experience and collective emotion at the core of its story.

Streaming as the Viewing Standard

‘Your Olympics. Your Way.’ positions streaming as the primary access point for Olympic coverage across Europe.

The campaign arrives as audiences increasingly rely on streaming as a first or second choice, especially when access to linear broadcasts is limited.

The character-led style reinforces the focus on human moments, while the decision to execute the work entirely in-house underscores WBD’s control over tone and rollout.

Across territories, coverage of all 116 medal events will be available via HBO Max and discovery+, expanding access at a scale that matches the campaign’s promise.

“For Milano Cortina 2026, we saw an opportunity to reimagine how fans experience the Olympics — bringing a fresh perspective to an event we all cherish.

Our global campaign is designed to get European fans hooked on HBO Max by giving them what they’ve been asking for: real choice and control," he explained.

For brand leaders and CMOs, three strategic signals stand out:

• Platform value is framed through emotion, using a relatable disruption to make streaming benefits tangible rather than relying on feature-led messaging.
• Niche sports are treated as brand assets, with curling used to signal depth of coverage and respect for fan preferences instead of defaulting to marquee events.
• In-house creative control supports speed and consistency, allowing the brand to align narrative, distribution, and platform promise under one editorial vision.

Overall, the approach moves WBD away from broadcast reach as the primary battleground and toward meeting audience expectations for control and personalized viewing.

Our Take: Why Does Choice Carry More Weight Now?

I read this campaign as a recognition that access has become part of brand trust.

WBD is selling streaming as an expectation shaped by how audiences already behave.

I think that the curling interruption works because it reflects a shared frustration.

By resolving this moment through streaming, the brand aligns itself with control, continuity, and respect for viewer preference.

I like how WBD focuses on the people who actually watch the Games, a simple but effective visual that connects with the real audiences.

Meanwhile, Team USA revived its "One for All" campaign for Milano Cortina 2026, strengthening its identity built on unity, national pride, and perseverance. 

Human-centered storytelling still anchors the strongest sports marketing.

These top creative partners help brands translate access, emotion, and audience control into work that resonates at scale.