NBC enlists Matt Damon for Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games promotion

Matt Damon will narrate a new promotional tease, “Our Games,” set to debut during NBCUniversal’s first “Primetime in Milan” Olympic broadcast on Saturday, Feb. 7. The segment will highlight the network’s coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and include appearances by U.S. athletes and archival Olympic moments.

The nearly two-and-a-half-minute tease will also appear in a shorter form during NBC’s live pregame show for Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8. NBCUniversal announced the campaign during a press event held Jan. 7 at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, part of its wider “Legendary February” programming initiative.

“Our Games” includes footage of Olympic champions and hopefuls such as Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Jordan Stolz, Ilia Malinin, and others. Historic Olympic moments, including the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team’s victory over the Soviet Union and Sarah Hughes’ 2002 gold medal-winning figure skating routine, are also featured.

“The tests they’ve been preparing for all their lives are right in front of them,” Damon says in the spot. “Their destinies to be discovered on snow, on ice, and beyond.”

Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production, said Damon’s narration aims to connect audiences to athletes’ stories.

“For night one of the Olympics, we want to make a bold statement about these Games and their power to connect us through the inspiring stories of the world’s greatest athletes,” Solomon said.

Additional 45-second promotional material featuring Damon will premiere during the NFL Wild Card game between the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots on Jan. 11. The spots will also run across NBCUniversal’s linear, digital, and social platforms in the lead-up to the Olympics.

Jenny Storms, chief marketing officer for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said Damon represents the Olympic journey through his voiceover work. She also referenced his upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s film, “The Odyssey”, set for release July 17.

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The campaign includes visual elements of the Milan and Cortina mountain landscapes, created using ILM StageCraft technology developed by Industrial Light & Magic. The same technology was used in NBCU’s Paris 2024 promotional content.

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Damon joins a lineup of celebrity participants in NBCU’s nine-month Olympic promotional campaign. Previous spots have featured Ray Romano, Sebastian Maniscalco, Glenn Powell, Scarlett Johansson, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jon Hamm, and animated characters such as Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon” and the Minions from “Despicable Me.”

NBCUniversal holds exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036. The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games will take place Feb. 6–22. Coverage will air on the NBC broadcast network and stream on Peacock.