Ah, the Olympics.

Once again, they’ve demonstrated the pinnacle of human achievement and the indomitable spirit of athletes who’ve sacrificed so much to compete on the world’s biggest stage. We got to cheer for familiar faces like Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, and all of the spectacular NBA (Lebron v. Wemby Finals please) & WNBA stars (Breanna & A’ja) or the incredibly talented USWNT (Trinity Rodman, take a bow for that goal). And let’s not forget the new faces like “Clark Kent” Stephen Nedoroscik, who won us over in gymnastics - or the world’s fastest man (if only by 0.005 seconds) Noah Lyles.

It’s also the rare chance to witness excellence from athletes and sports that usually don’t make it to our weekend line-ups (sorry Ant Man, but I’m pretty sure the table tennis players would indeed smoke you 11-0).  The domestic media loved our hometown heroes, but there were countless inspiring stories from around the globe for audiences of all ages.

Paris, you nailed it. You brought your iconic style and flair, reminding us why you remain the epicenter of sophistication and charm.

For those of us not in Paris though, what can we collectively take away from the TV experience?

(C)TV's Future Comes into Focus
First, I have to tip my hat to the team at NBCUniversal for its flawless execution, and in particular on Peacock. Watching the Olympics crystalized exactly what the future of our industry looks like: a seamless blend of live and on-demand, curated feeds, and algorithmic recommendations. All for the better.

For those in TV advertising, the Olympics were like a breath of fresh air. Ads were back and better than ever, reminiscent of Simone Biles’ triumphant return to the world stage. The ads felt relevant, the user experience was great, and there was a perfect mix of programmatic targeting and brand-building campaigns.

Relevant Ads
Maybe it was just me, but the ads felt spot-on without being creepy. I got served a Hoka running shoe ad (my family just bought hiking pairs last week, and will be due for a new pair this fall), a Lufthansa flight ad (I just flew with them to Cannes in June), a retirement ad tailored to my lifestage (self censoring here), and a men’s vitamin supplement also tailored to my lifestage (really self censoring here).

And let’s not forget the attempted branding ad on top of everyone’s mind: Gemini’s cultural-zeitgeist fail. I’m sorry Google, but dads should encourage their kids to write letters in their own words, not use those of an LLM).

A Positive User Experience
In part because the ads were better, but also for a number of other reasons, the viewer experience has definitely been a positive all around. A quick look at what worked:

Let’s start with the star of the show, the content:

• It was fun swapping between live and on-demand clips/highlights/replays
• Gold Zone was a massive win
• ‘AI Al Michaels” delivered highlights were surprisingly good, illustrating the promise of AI when its underpinned by creators’ consent and compensation
• The fusion between entertainment (Kevin Hart, Kenan Thompon, and America’s newly minted national treasure Snoop Dogg were personal favorites) and live sports was creative and engaging.
• With 10 year NBA rights now secured, it’ll be exciting to see what learnings NBCU brings with it to next year’s season besides millennial nostalgia bomb Round Ball Rock (NBCU, do the right thing and bring it back to SNL while you’re at it please).
  

But, let’s not forget about the money maker - the ads:

• I dare say it, the ads were not only tolerable, but enjoyable.  It really felt like an extended Super Bowl run.
• The showtime of ad breaks was displayed, so users knew what to expect
• There were limited disruptions of key moments (almost all pre-roll, not mid-roll unless the break allowed for it).
• There were QR-enabled call-to-action ads, but making content "shoppable" wasn't overdone
• No over-frequency problems! Remember just two years ago? This wasn’t the case on any ad-supported streaming TV.
  

Reaching (and Streaming) All Age Groups
From my non-scientific focus groups, here’s what I found: Gen Z watched Peacock and engaged via TikTok and Reddit forums, Millennials watched Peacock and posted on Instagram, and Gen X and Boomers watched a mix of cable and Peacock. The common denominator? Everyone was tuned into NBCU programming–and the once-streaming underdog Peacock!–and, at least in part, streamed one of the few recent unifying cultural moments.

The Takeaways for Ad Tech
So what did we learn from all of this, TV Industry? Let’s keep the momentum going.

• The power of first-party data was front and center. By matching advertisers’ first-party audience segments with NBCUniversal’s first-party subscriber data, it allowed the perfect mix of reach and relevance for advertisers. That’s why the ads were so on point.  It also allowed our feed to be customized based on past events watched.
• Identity resolution was key to enabling both seamless targeting and ad frequency management–and underpins a positive user experience.
• TV advertising need not be limited by our past (lacking targeting and filled with disruptive ads).  Nor does that mean we have to throw out everything that served us well (brand building ads focused on building reach at optimal frequency levels).  Squint at this year’s Olympics and you may see our industry’s past, but if you zoom out, you just may see a bright future.
  

Recent innovation has allowed TV to get better – better for the viewer, better for the advertiser and better for the media companies. Let’s take note of what’s working and continue to forge forward.

Our industry’s watershed moment has finally arrived and we are not going back. If this year’s Olympics has taught us one thing, it’s that TV may not only survive, it could thrive in the next decade to come.

Imagine what LA 2028 will bring. I’ll certainly be watching and I’m confident many others will be too.

 Jason Manningham is Blockgraph's CEO and Co-Founder.