Every major global event leaves behind two things: memories for viewers and opportunities for marketers. The 2026 Winter Olympics are shaping up to be one of those rare moments where attention, emotion, and purchasing intent collide at scale.
For affiliate marketers and advertisers, the Olympics are not just about sports. They’re about behavioral shifts, people spend more time online, consume more content, install more apps, and react more strongly to messaging that taps into competition, national pride, and seasonal lifestyle changes.
If you’ve run campaigns around major sporting events before, you already know the pattern. Traffic increases. CPMs fluctuate. Competition intensifies. But for those who plan early and optimize smartly, the payoff can be significant.
Let’s break down how experienced marketers approach Olympic-season campaigns… and how you can do the same.
2026 Winter Olympics FAQ
What are these Winter Olympics games? 💡
The Winter Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event held once every four years, bringing together the world’s top athletes to compete in snow and ice-based sports. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Winter Olympics feature disciplines such as skiing, skating, ice hockey, and sliding sports.
Beyond sports, the Games represent a global media phenomenon, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide across TV, streaming platforms, and digital channels, making them a major moment for audience attention and online activity.
When do the 2026 Winter Olympics start?
📅 Olympic Winter Games |Feb 6-22, 2026📅 Paralympic Winter GamesMar 6-15, 2026
This period traditionally sees:
- Increased online engagement
- Higher media consumption
- Seasonal shifts in shopping and app usage
For advertisers and affiliates, this window is especially valuable for launching event-driven and seasonal campaigns.
Where will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held? 📍
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be hosted in Italy, with events spread across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, along with several other locations in Northern Italy.
This will be the first Olympics hosted by multiple cities across a wider region, combining: Milan as a major global media and business hub and Cortina d’Ampezzo as a historic winter sports destination.
The European location also means strong engagement across EU markets, alongside global interest from North America, Asia, and beyond.
Why the 2026 Winter Olympics Are a Big Deal for Affiliates
The 2026 Winter Olympics aren’t just a moment, they’re a market condition. One that rewards affiliates who understand user behavior, prepare early, and think beyond obvious verticals.
With the right strategy, the Olympics can deliver more than short-term spikes. They can become a launchpad for growth, new audiences, and higher lifetime value.
The game doesn’t start when the torch is lit, it starts when your campaigns are ready.
From casual viewers checking highlights on their phones to hardcore fans following every event live, user behavior changes across devices and GEOs.
During Olympic periods, we consistently see:
- Longer session times on mobile and desktop
- Higher engagement with notifications and alerts
- Increased responsiveness to timely, event-driven offers
- Strong emotional triggers that improve click-through and conversion rates
In simple terms: users are paying attention, and attention is the most valuable currency in performance marketing.
High-Performing Affiliate Verticals During the Winter Olympics
One mistake less-experienced affiliates make is assuming Olympic traffic is only relevant for sports betting. In reality, the event reshapes daily routines.
People stay indoors more, watch more content, and they scroll more. They buy more convenience-driven products. And they look for entertainment between competitions. This creates opportunity across multiple verticals, not just one.
But let’s take it one at a time.
Sports & Betting (Regulated Markets Only)
This is the obvious one, and for good reason. Major competitions drive spikes in registrations, deposits, and repeat engagement. What works best here isn’t aggressive selling, but timing and relevance:
Pre-event predictions
- Live-match reminders
- Country-focused angles
- Limited-time bonuses tied to specific events
Push notifications are especially effective when aligned with competition schedules and real-time updates.
Gaming & iGaming Beyond Sports
Not everyone wants to bet, but many want to play. During previous winter events, casual games, competitive mobile games, and skill-based platforms see noticeable growth. Users are already in a competitive mindset, which lowers friction for installs and registrations.
Creative angles that lean into “Compete like a champion”, “Winter challenge” themes, leaderboards and rewards tend to perform well across popunder and native traffic.
E-commerce & Winter Lifestyle Products
The Winter Olympics naturally amplify interest in seasonal products. Even users who aren’t actively shopping become more receptive to discovery-based ads.
Strong categories include:
- Winter apparel and accessories
- Home workout and recovery gear
- TVs, projectors, and audio devices
- Cozy home and indoor lifestyle products
Native ads shine here because they feel less like ads and more like recommendations, especially when paired with winter-focused visuals and storytelling.
Finance, Utilities & Digital Services
Large-scale events often come with increased spending, subscriptions, entertainment, travel planning, and impulse purchases. Naturaly, this makes finance-related offers surprisingly resilient during Olympic periods:
- Digital wallets
- Cashback platforms
- Streaming tools and VPNs
- Budgeting and utility apps
These offers benefit from broad GEO coverage and tend to perform steadily across banner and push formats.
Mobile Apps & Subscriptions
From live-score apps to fitness platforms inspired by athletic performances, app installs surge during the 2026 Olympic season.
Experienced marketers focus on:
- Mobile-first funnels
- Lightweight creatives with clear value propositions
- Simple onboarding flows
Push and banner ads help capture repeat exposure throughout the event, reinforcing brand recall and driving conversions.
Choosing the Right Traffic Type for Olympic Traffic
During high-demand periods like the Olympics, format selection becomes strategic, not experimental.
- Push ads work best for urgency, reminders, and real-time engagement
- Native ads excel at discovery, storytelling, and product education
- Banner ads support brand visibility across longer campaigns
- Popunder ads deliver scale when competition drives CPMs up elsewhere
Seasoned buyers rarely rely on a single format. The real advantage comes from layering formats to capture users at different moments of intent.
When everyone is buying traffic, quality becomes the differentiator.
Ready to Turn Olympic Traffic Into Performance?
Major events like the 2026 Winter Olympics don’t wait, and neither should your campaigns. The difference between breaking even and scaling profitably often comes down to traffic quality, timing, and optimization control.
With access to global, performance-driven traffic, multiple high-impact ad formats, and smart optimization tools like TargetCPA and automation rules, our ad network helps advertisers and affiliates stay competitive when demand is at its peak.
Whether you’re planning early tests or preparing to scale during the games, now is the right time to align your strategy with a traffic partner built for high-volume moments.
👉 Launch your 2026 Winter Olympics-ready campaigns today and stay ahead of the competition.