The countdown to the next Winter Olympics and what has gone on behind closed doors hasn’t been without its issues. The Winter Olympics 2026 is a big deal for media, as the IOC owns the rights to the Olympics and gives media rights to big businesses with deep pockets. 

According to a quick AI search, the following companies have the media rights in different global territories:

Media rights for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics are held by different organizations in different territories
. Key rights holders include NBC and Peacock for the United States, Nine for Australia, JTBC for South and North Korea, and Warner Bros. Discovery and RAI for Italy. In Europe, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)holds the free-to-air rights and has sub-licensed parts to its members, while Warner Bros. Discovery holds the pay-TV and streaming rights.

Dates That Matter

Team USA held the big Media Summit this week in New York City, even though the team has not been officially chosen yet. 

The Olympics will take place between Friday, 6th February, and Sunday, 22nd February, 2026.

The Olympics are held between two locations, with Italy stating that transportation is available to connect the locations. You would need to be on site for 1-2 days before the event to give yourself time to settle in and get your bearings, particularly important if you are an independent media person or influencer. You need an editorial put together before you plan your days and stay cutting-edge. 

Milan Cortina is a busy event with highly organised people, they aren’t joking with the inclusion and exclusion of rights to this event. You need to know what these are. 

Planning Your Editorial Before Hand

Having plans of what you would like to cover will help your travel plans. It also helps to know what accommodations suit you best due to having preplanned your needs. 

What Italy Wants

Having plans of what you would like to cover will help your travel plans. It also helps to know what accommodations suit you best due to having preplanned your needs. 

What Italy Wants

They want coverage and lots of it. Initially, they offered certain media visas, but the IOC said no due to copyright concerns. This event is no joke, and the opportunity is enormous. Knowing what you can do — and knowing what you can’t—is a deal-maker. 

Milan is known for fashion, with global photographers regularly visiting the city to cover street fashion and key dates during its fashion weeks. Milan is part of the Ancient World (Greece and the older parts of our modern world reference the Ancient World context historically), so architecture and design are big in this part of the world. 

Art and culture, rich in the arts from Leonardo Da Vinci to recipes passed down for hundreds of years, from wine to pasta. Know before you go, this isn’t a school excursion. 

Lifestyle is big here, they are a proud people with a rich heritage, and they know what vibe you want to bring to your community.

Know Before You Go

• what vibe do you want to cover?
• know at least three sports to talk about, so as not to look ignorant
• have passports and accommodation ready
• your editorial ready
• internet access and devices sorted
• Italian money
• Italy is part of the EU
• it will be winter and the travel set will be there, dress appropriately
• know what you can and can’t do according to IOC
• transportation

Planning

Planning is a big key to your success. From editorials to back up plans, it will ensure you get your job done, in the time frame you have.