To broaden the appeal of winter sports at Milano Cortina, the BBC has integrated social media influencers into its travel and culture coverage. These people are providing a different lens on the Games, focusing on the flavour of Italy and the general experience of the host country rather than just the technical aspects of the competition.

Influencer engagement

Comments Rachel Wright, BBC Sport’s head of production, while standing in the snow outside the studio in Cortina: “We’ve got some influencers on board this time around. They’ve been traveling between locations and doing content that’s a bit less tied to an event – a bit more evergreen – that you could drop in at any point through the schedule. It’s a team that can see what the story is, they can set up things as they go.”

Those stories might be about the success of a Team GB athlete or taking an influencer out to meet people or experience local culture. For instance, BBC Sport has taken influencer Chris Hughes out and about to try things, “like going into an Italian restaurant and getting a bit of the culture and the flavour of the country,” says Wright.

Gaby Cook, executive editor at BBC Sport, says on how the influencers were picked: “I think it’s looking at their social following and seeing if they have right profile and the right fit. We used an influencer called Max Balegde. He actually does a lot of work for Netflix, so he’s their go-to person who interviewed the whole cast of Stranger Things for this finale season. We wanted a slightly different casting to cut through to a slightly younger audience that are really native to using social platforms and digesting social content; something a bit different.

“We have our sport experts, and we really need our sport experts, but I think seeing the Games through the eyes of someone who’s never been here before and just seeing the wonderful world of winter sports – that excitement – and then the location and the culture of Italy and everything that’s going on here, just gives different content.

“I think you need that light and shade,” continues Cook. “We’ve got lots of things that are explaining the sport and describing the sport and deep dives into sort of analysing sport, but we just wanted to do something a bit different, the garnish around it that’s different. We know that’s going to appeal more to younger audiences, but it’s got that broad appeal. It’s not just young people; everybody of all ages are on Instagram and TikTok these days, so it’s that breadth of appeal that we’re really after.”

Playing with Team GB

Team GB athletes are also part of the digital first push, allowing the British broadcaster to cross-pollinate between digital and linear channels.

Explains Cook: “A lot of Team GB have done collaborations on social media with us, which is great; it just doubles your reach. The fact that they’re reposting the content that we’re posting is great.

“Generally some of the content’s a bit more lighthearted and it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air for them, talking about slightly different stuff,” continues Cook. “Not that we’re ever shying away from the tough questions and the good journalism, but I think [the athletes] seem to enjoy it and we seem to get more out of them.”

As well as athletes talking about their sport at the Winter Games, BBC Sport is talking about their journeys to the 2026 Winter Games. This is part of making them recognisable household names.

Cook says: “You have to sell the characters and the personalities involved because they’re not Premier League footballers who are household names; you have to build them up and sell them, what they do and about their sport. We always have this thing at the BBC where we inform, educate, and entertain and it’s just captured that.”

She continues: “It’s just the human beings behind the great execution of sport. Everybody wants to know the backstory around someone and wants to know what makes them tick and how they cope with pressure. Those are the things that when you’re at home make you just care. You want to watch, and suddenly you’re engaged because you’ve just heard how this person has got to the start line and it’s not necessarily been that easy. Suddenly you’re just rooting for them.”

Notes Wright: “That emotional side – and we saw it last weekend with the Lindsey Vonn accident – people felt real empathy.”

To broaden the appeal of winter sports at Milano Cortina, the BBC has integrated social media influencers into its travel and culture coverage. These people are providing a different lens on the Games, focusing on the flavour of Italy and the general experience of the host country rather than just the technical aspects of the competition.

Influencer engagement

Comments Wright: “We’ve got some influencers on board this time around. They’ve been traveling between locations and doing content that’s a bit less tied to an event – a bit more evergreen – that you could drop in at any point through the schedule. It’s a team that can see what the story is, they can set up things as they go.”

Those stories might be about the success of a Team GB athlete or taking an influencer out to meet people or experience local culture. For instance, BBC Sport has taken influencer Chris Hughes out and about to try things, “like going into an Italian restaurant and getting a bit of the culture and the flavour of the country,” says Wright.

Cook says on how the influencers were picked: “I think it’s looking at their social following and seeing if they have right profile and the right fit. We used an influencer called Max Balegde. He actually does a lot of work for Netflix, so he’s their go-to person who interviewed the whole cast of Stranger Things for this finale season. We wanted a slightly different casting to cut through to a slightly younger audience that are really native to using social platforms and digesting social content; something a bit different.

“We have our sport experts, and we really need our sport experts, but I think seeing the Games through the eyes of someone who’s never been here before and just seeing the wonderful world of winter sports – that excitement – and then the location and the culture of Italy and everything that’s going on here, just gives different content.

“I think you need that light and shade,” continues Cook. “We’ve got lots of things that are explaining the sport and describing the sport and deep dives into sort of analysing sport, but we just wanted to do something a bit different, the garnish around it that’s different. We know that’s going to appeal more to younger audiences, but it’s got that broad appeal. It’s not just young people; everybody of all ages are on Instagram and TikTok these days, so it’s that breadth of appeal that we’re really after.”

Playing with Team GB

Team GB athletes are also part of the digital first push, allowing the British broadcaster to cross-pollinate between digital and linear channels.

Explains Cook: “A lot of Team GB have done collaborations on social media with us, which is great; it just doubles your reach. The fact that they’re reposting the content that we’re posting is great.

“Generally some of the content’s a bit more lighthearted and it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air for them, talking about slightly different stuff,” continues Cook. “Not that we’re ever shying away from the tough questions and the good journalism, but I think [the athletes] seem to enjoy it and we seem to get more out of them.”

As well as athletes talking about their sport at the Winter Games, BBC Sport is talking about their journeys to the 2026 Winter Games. This is part of making them recognisable household names.

Cook says: “You have to sell the characters and the personalities involved because they’re not Premier League footballers who are household names; you have to build them up and sell them, what they do and about their sport. We always have this thing at the BBC where we inform, educate, and entertain and it’s just captured that.”

She continues: “It’s just the human beings behind the great execution of sport. Everybody wants to know the backstory around someone and wants to know what makes them tick and how they cope with pressure. Those are the things that when you’re at home make you just care. You want to watch, and suddenly you’re engaged because you’ve just heard how this person has got to the start line and it’s not necessarily been that easy. Suddenly you’re just rooting for them.”

Notes Wright: “That emotional side – and we saw it last weekend with the Lindsey Vonn accident – people felt real empathy.”