The 2026 NFL regular season kicked off with a Super Bowl rematch and a large collection of new TV advertising across all of the week one action.
Following an engaging slate of games to start the year, iSpot is identifying some of the biggest ad trends to keep an eye on as the season continues, specifically through the lens of newcomers to opening week advertising.
The NFL’s major advertisers don’t turn over frequently, but when comparing week one year-over-year, there were some new brands who aimed to make a bigger splash with TV creatives.
OpenAI
OpenAI was a regular during NFL games last season and postseason (44% of its impressions during the 2025 season were delivered by the league), yet it wasn’t featured in week one.
That was not the case this year, as OpenAI was the No. 4 most-seen advertiser during live linear NFL games during week one, with 2.17% of all brand impressions. That was most among technology brands, which saw an increased presence overall year-over-year – with consumer software, AI and cloud solutions growing from 2.20% of reach during week one last season to 6.21% this year.
OpenAI’s new spot, Approved the Project, is the brand’s 4th-most likeable ad of the year so far among NFL fans (4% above its norm for 2026), and is one of six OpenAI ads to score at 48% or above for top-2 box purchase intent.
Hewlett Packard Enterprises
Similarly, HP helped fuel the rise in technology-focused ads, but picked its spots to maximize reach and impact in primetime after nearly sitting out TV altogether last football season.
The brand aired just seven times during week one action this year (all using previously-released creative, Self-Driving Network), yet was the No. 7 most-seen brand. All of those airings came on NBC, either during the season opener between the Seahawks and Patriots, or the Sunday Night matchup with the Giants and Cowboys.
Most important there: HP’s airings were some of NBC’s most-seen all weekend from an impressions standpoint, including two of the top 13 and three of the top 50 most-seen ad airings across both games.
StarLink
StarLink didn’t air a single linear TV ad during the regular season last year (against NFL games or otherwise), but was among the 30 most-seen brands by impressions in week one of 2026.
All of its airings (10 in all) came from previously released creative, The Future, and with good reason. The ad is 9% more effective than the technology norm in 2026, according to creative assessment survey results. And it’s scored as 6% more likeable and 50% of those that saw the ad said they were “more” or “much more” likely to use the product/service after seeing the ad.
Technology ads are becoming more common on TV over the last year, so it’s natural those increases would include NFL airings. And if the Super Bowl and week one are any indication, the momentum will only continue, as these advertisers hone in their creative messaging in ways that resonate with audiences and drive outcomes.
Week 1’s Most-Seen Advertisers (National Linear TV)
