Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled two custom-built studios in the Italian Alps that will serve as the broadcast hub for its European coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
The media giant’s main facility, dubbed “WBD House,” sits in the heart of Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Nations Village, offering a 600-square-meter, two-story setup featuring 217 steel and glass pieces. The structure incorporates high-resolution exterior cameras designed to showcase panoramic views of the Dolomites and nearby Olympic venues, including the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre and the new Cortina Sliding Centre.
The flagship studio will deploy 12 cameras, including jib, drone, RF and Steadicam units, along with three exterior XR cameras for virtual set extensions. A 90-person crew will support productions targeting audiences across Italy, Germany, Poland and Norway, with additional teams from France, the Netherlands, Denmark and the U.K. stationed on-site.
WBD’s second facility, the “Snow Dome” in Livigno, features a striking six-meter-high domed structure with 95 square meters of space and 360-degree mountain views. Built in collaboration with Livigno’s local organizing committee, the studio will cover freestyle skiing and snowboard competitions.
The Italian studios will complement WBD’s permanent facilities across Europe, including its mixed-reality curve studio in London and production hubs in Paris, Milan, Munich, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Hilversum and Warsaw.
“As the home of the Olympics in Europe, our ambition is to provide viewers with an authentic taste of Italy through the most immersive production possible,” said Scott Young, executive VP at WBD Sports Europe. “Our studios will deliver a truly unique viewing experience to fans while maximising opportunities for our expert presenters and reporters to get even closer to the action while telling the stories of the incredible athletes competing.”
WBD has assembled an extensive roster of Olympic talent for the Games, including alpine skiing medalists Tina Maze, Viktoria Rebensburg, Johan Clarey and Kristian Ghedina; six-time Olympic luge gold medalist Natalie Geisenberger; bobsleigh champion Kevin Kuske; cross-country skiing champion Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli; and ice hockey medalists Håkan Södergren and Mats Sundin. Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller and former Olympic freestyle skier Elisa Nakab will report from the Livigno studio.
WBD’s first live studio broadcast from Italy aired Feb. 6 ahead of the opening ceremony in Milan. Olympic competition began Feb. 4 and concludes Feb. 22.
HBO Max and Discovery+ will stream every event live, while Eurosport will provide pan-European television coverage and TNT Sports will broadcast in the U.K. and Ireland.
