After the standout performance of its Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games network, QMS has confirmed it will continue as the official outdoor media partner for the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia at the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games..
The partnership will once again see QMS lead the digital out-of-home (DOOH) media strategy around two of the world’s most prominent sporting events.
The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, start on 6 February 2026, featuring more than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries, competing in 16 disciplines for 195 medals.
The Winter Paralympics follows from 6 March, with 600 athletes contending for 79 medals across six sports. Australia is expected to send around 50 Olympians and 14 Paralympians.
Building on momentum from Paris 2024, QMS will soon unveil its OOH commercial packages for Milano Cortina.
According to MOVE 1.5 data*, QMS delivered an audience reach of 11.5 million Australians during the Paris Games, dynamically serving over 81,000 real-time breaking news updates – a first in the history of the Australian outdoor media industry.
QMS was able to share medal updates within minutes to OOH sites across Australia, meaning Australians could keep up to date with key wins, almost in real time.
Research conducted by Kantar reported significant uplifts across brand funnel metrics for all QMS partners, with largely double-digit increases across key demographics.
Meanwhile, research from Neuro-Insight found partner campaigns during the Paris Games generated a 22% stronger long-term memory encoding response compared to non-partner activity.
QMS CEO John O’Neill said the Paris results represented a pivotal moment for the business, and for digital OOH more broadly.
“The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were a defining moment for QMS, proving the changing role of digital out of home [DOOH] in omnichannel brand campaigns,” he said. “Through digital innovation and creative dynamism, our medium was able to showcase the power of audience and brand connection through real-time, contextually relevant content at scale.
“This was a true game-changer for the Australian OOH industry and another demonstration of the immediacy, flexibility and results that DOOH now delivers.
“With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics on the horizon, we will continue to build on this innovation and connect with Australian audiences, through one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.”
From a branding perspective, the partnership strengthens QMS’s position as a leader in sports-integrated media campaigns and builds on its alignment with high-performance storytelling and national pride; a sentiment echoed by both sporting bodies.
Australian Olympic Committee CEO Mark Arbib said: “The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport – both in Australia and across the globe – and QMS redefined the way we worked with our OOH media partner to engage Australian audiences and share the stories of triumph and unity of our Australian Olympians.
“We’re looking forward to working with QMS again as we harness the power of the rings to inspire and advance our nation.”
Paralympics Australia CEO Cameron Murray added: “Last year we saw firsthand the QMS network’s power in shining a spotlight on disability, inclusivity and social change while showcasing the best of elite sport and the triumph of the human spirit. We couldn’t be more pleased to extend our partnership with QMS for the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games.”
*MOVE 1.5 September 2024, all people 14+