10 more years of Macy’s Parade and Olympics on NBC: What could it mean for Universal theme parks? | Analysis
It’s hard to remember a time when the Olympics and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade didn’t air on NBC. That’s because the network has held American broadcasting rights to the Summer Olympic Games since 1988 and the Winter Olympic Games since 2002; the network has also been the official broadcaster of the beloved holiday parade since 1953. And now, NBC’s coverage will extend another 10 years.
With renewed deals to continue broadcasting the events on NBC and Peacock for another decade, there’s big potential to incorporate these events into its theme parks (and vice versa). Who knows, we may soon see Earl the Squirrel floating above midtown Manhattan.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The nearly 100-year-old Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a holiday tradition, with more than 44 million people watching each year. In 2024, it was the year’s most-watched television special, with 31.3 million viewers (a new record for the holiday tradition).
The highlight of the iconic holiday parade is giant character balloons, which in 2024 included Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse, Po from Kung Fu Panda, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Stuart the Minion, all characters that already (or will soon) appear at Universal theme parks.
In the Parks:
- Gabby – DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Kids Resort (opening 2026)
- Po – DreamWorks Theater at Universal Studios Hollywood; Po’s Training Camp at Universal Studios Florida; Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness at Universal Beijing
- SpongeBob – Universal Kids Resort (opening 2026)
- Stuart – Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Beijing, Universal Singapore; Freeze Ray Sliders at Universal Studios Japan
The current version of Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s at Universal Studios Florida debuted in 2017, with Macy’s famous balloons featuring characters from the Despicable Me, Shrek, and Madagascar films.
The Olympic Games
The new $3B deal between Comcast (NBCUniversal’s parent company) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) means the games will be broadcast in the U.S. on NBC and streamed on Peacock through the 2034 Winter Games and the 2036 Summer Games.
Olympic Games Dates and Locations:
- Feb. 6-22, 2026 – Milan and Cortina, Italy
- July 14-30, 2028 – Los Angeles, Calif.
- Feb. 8-24, 2030 – French Alps
- July 23-Aug. 8, 2032 – Brisbane, Australia
- Feb. 10-26, 2034 – Salt Lake City, Utah
- 2036 – Host City TBD
While Comcast’s current Olympics deal would not have expired until 2032, the new agreement (which goes into effect immediately) includes ‘new, innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects, which could include special Olympic-themed experiences at Universal theme parks or athlete-related opportunities for park visitors.
The Olympics at Universal Parks
In 2021, NBC launched “Rings Across America” ahead of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, where life-sized Olympic Rings stopped at six locations across the U.S., including Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida. NBC relaunched the “Rings Across America” cross-country tour before the Paris Games, which again included a stop at Universal Orlando.
“Our country is filled with Olympic fans,” said Lyndsay Signor, Senior Vice President of Consumer Engagement for NBC Sports. “Displaying the Rings, one of the most recognizable symbols of the Olympic movement […] provides even more awareness and excitement for our coverage of these highly anticipated Games.”
Also in 2021, Universal Orlando debuted a special Olympics-themed pre-show before the Cinematic Celebration water and projection show featuring choreographed fountains, pyrotecnics, and imagery showcasing Olympic stars accompanied by custom music that included elements from event scores composed by John Williams.
Just outside the theme park gates, Olympics events are broadcast live on NBC Sports Grill & Brew’s massive 23-by-13-foot high-definition media wall.
Universal and the Opening Ceremonies
For the most recent summer games in Paris, a short film premiered on July 26, 2024, for the opening ceremonies narrated by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, who has a longstanding collaboration with Universal.
The innovative opening ceremonies, comprised of film segments interlaced with live performances across Paris, also featured unofficial Universal Parks mascots, the mischievous Minions, who traveled along the Seine by submarine to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum.
With the 2028 summer games taking place in Los Angeles—home to Universal Studios—we can expect Universal to participate on an even larger scale, especially since Jeffrey Katzenberg (co-founder of DreamWorks) is on the Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee. In addition, as the games will draw thousands of international visitors to the city, that provides unique opportunities for Universal Studios Hollywood specifically.
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