Canadians tuning into the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday afternoon were expecting spectacle and symbolism, but instead, they were left fuming at the split-screen commercials that kept interrupting the CBC broadcast almost as soon as the event kicked off.
The Winter Games opened to a sweeping video montage, blending Alpine vistas with iconic cultural imagery — presenting Italy as a winter wonderland. Performers arrived in the middle dressed as angels that filled a glittering spiral stage inspired by Milan’s La Scala opera house — putting on display the hosting nation’s art, drama and history.
However, for Canadians watching live at home on CBC, the opening atmosphere seemed to have lost its charm because advertisements were abruptly intercepting key moments, especially as the show began.
‘I was going to be Canadian for these Olympics and then I saw the amount of ads on CBC’: Canadians vent their frustration online
Canadians were quick to express their dissatisfaction with the CBC broadcast online, calling out specific pain points that forced some to consider switching to other broadcasters for a smoother experience.
The frustration with “Super Mario ads” kept rising as the broadcast went on Friday afternoon.
Some of the viewers were thankful other international broadcasters were available to make the most of their opening ceremony viewing experience at home.
Alessia Cara’s ‘The Gold Within’ segment appreciated online
The public frustration with ads interrupting the CBC broadcast was unexpected because of how well the segment preceding the Opening Ceremony broadcast was received online.
Canadian singer and Grammy winner Alessia Cara featured in an 8-minute long feature called The Gold Within: Family and Fire that focused on professional figure skater Elladj Baldé.
“Beautiful. Inspiring. Limitless,” commented an X user.