Multi-system operator (MSO) execs are "not sure how
golden" next year's Summer Olympics will be for cable, as
"only a few" MSOs have "actually signed on" for NBC's 270-
hour Olympics package on CNBC and MSNBC, and many are
"waiting to hear more details about which events the cable
networks will have and how much will be during primetime,"
according to Jim Forkan of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. NBC Cable
Networks has said that it will give operators "three minutes
per hour in local avails, or a combined total of 1,600 30-
second spots during the" Olympics coverage, but AT&T
Broadband & Internet Services "is the only MSO confirmed to
have signed up so far." MSO sales execs have expressed
"disappointment" that cable "can't hit the street with
Olympics inventory" until after NBC "wraps up its sales
effort" January 1. Comcast Cable Communications Senior
VP/Ad Sales Filemon Lopez believes the "plethora of events
and the time-zone difference" at the 2000 Games might impact
sales and ratings. Lopez adds that in order for CNBC and
MSNBC to obtain strong ratings, NBC "must spend a lot [in
marketing] to drive viewers to cable" (MULTI. NEWS, 8/30).