I’ve spent enough years in live television to recognise a genuine attention spike when I see one. The Winter Olympics deliver a huge one every four years: global reach, cultural relevance, and the kind of emotional pull that leaves you so transfixed you only realise (too late) that your tea’s gone cold. Few events command that level of focus, across so many markets, all at once.
But one lesson from working in live television has always stuck with me: attention on its own isn’t the end goal. Without a clear path forward, even the biggest moments can fade faster than we expect. The Games create unforgettable highs – but what follows those highs is where the real opportunity lives.
Moments drive attention. Communities drive longevity.
We’re undeniably brilliant at creating Olympic moments. By day three, we’re all experts in curling. By day five, a surprising number of us are quietly questioning whether ski jumping might still be a career option (or is that just me?) These moments spark curiosity, emotion, and mass participation, and that’s incredibly powerful. The challenge comes after the flame goes out, when audiences return to their everyday lives and that collective energy has nowhere obvious to land.
The next evolution of Olympic strategy isn’t about doing the moments better, it’s about extending their life. For rights holders, broadcasters, and federations, the real value lies in treating the Games not as a standalone peak, but as the beginning of a longer relationship. One built around community, continuity, and sustained engagement long after the closing ceremony.
The anonymous audience problem.
Our Anonymous Fan Index found that 76% of sports fans remain completely anonymous to the organisations trying to engage them. That costs organisations between $100,000 and $5 million annually in lost opportunities.
Winter sports federations face this more acutely than most. Most fans can’t just rock up to a World Cup bobsleigh event. Geography, cost and mountain venues make digital engagement essential, rather than optional.
If federations don’t know their audiences, and broadcasters don’t know their viewers beyond basic demographics, how are brands supposed to make intelligent sponsorship decisions beyond a strategically placed billboard? The smartest ones are taking matters into their own hands by building fan relationships rather than relying on rights holders to deliver them.
A fan who participates through votes, redeeming an offer, competing in a challenge etc. isn’t just aware of your brand. They’ve taken action. That’s not a CPM calculation, that’s a conversion funnel. And it requires knowing who these people actually are.
From broadcast to belonging.
Winter sports are visually spectacular but physically inaccessible to many. Digital platforms give federations the chance to put fans on the slopes, at the rink, inside the bobsleigh. Not just showing highlights, but making them feel part of it.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation extending its partnership with TikTok shows how federations are meeting younger audiences where they already are. The question has shifted from “how do we show this?” to “how do we make fans feel part of it?”
Relationship-driven storytelling between fans, athletes and federations, creates emotional investment and long-term loyalty. It’s the difference between someone who watches a two-minute clip and someone who shows up for the World Championships 18 months later.
Content that connects.
The most effective Olympic content links fans with each other, creates proximity between fans and athletes, and embeds people in the wider narrative. When that works, you get a proper value exchange. Fans gain access and belonging. Rights holders unlock loyalty, data and commercial value.
The BBC launching dedicated Winter Olympics content for YouTube marks a shift in how major events are distributed. NBC’s creator collective programme takes it further, embracing creators to speak natively to digital communities and extend storytelling beyond traditional TV audiences.
Creators act as cultural translators, helping Olympic sports reach fans who may never have engaged with winter sports before. The Winter Olympics are increasingly being used as a bridge into new audiences rather than just serving existing fans.
Stories that grow sports.
Starting my career in journalism taught me that storytelling isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s how people make sense of the world around them. Stories help us process experiences, connect with others, and feel part of something shared. In sport, they turn individual moments into collective experiences.
That’s why Olympic moments resonate most when they’re rooted in human stories. The film Cool Runnings didn’t just introduce the world to Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsleigh team; it sparked global interest in a sport many people had never considered watching, let alone following. The moment endured because the story did.
Athlete-led narratives (comebacks, rivalries, personal journeys) remain powerful ways to bring new audiences in because they humanise elite sport. But their real value is unlocked when they’re treated as the starting point, not the peak. When stories are part of a wider approach to building connection over time, moments evolve into communities and attention becomes something lasting.
What this means for sponsors.
The smartest sponsors won’t just invest in visibility; they’ll invest in participation, fan experiences, and stories that continue well beyond the moment itself. When brands help bring fans together (rather than interrupting them) they become part of the Olympic ecosystem, not just a logo around it.
Doing that well depends on understanding who those fans actually are, and what keeps them coming back. That’s why the most effective sponsorships are built with partners who know the audience and how to engage them meaningfully. Without that foundation, even the biggest moments struggle to deliver lasting value.
The real winners.
The Winter Olympics will always deliver unforgettable moments. But the real winners, for rights holders, broadcasters and brands, will be those who turn moments into relationships, and relationships into communities that last long after the flame goes out.
We’ve spent years perfecting how to capture attention during the Games. The next challenge is figuring out what to do with it once we’ve got it.
Moments drive attention. Communities drive longevity. The federations and broadcasters who understand that difference will be the ones still talking to their fans in 2030.
Download the Anonymous Fan Index + Ultimate Guide for 100 tactics to accelerate your data strategy and convert anonymous fans into a community you can work with.
