NBC Passes $1B In Ad Sales For Rio, On Pace For Biggest Olympics Sales Ever

NBC this morning said that it "has surpassed" $1B in national ad sales for its coverage of the Rio Games, reaching the mark "earlier than it did" for the '12 London Games, according to Szalai & Guthrie of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. London reached about $1.3B in total ad sales. while Kantar Media indicated the '14 Sochi Games generated $946M in ad revenue (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 3/29). REUTERS' Liana Baker notes the Rio is "on pace to have the biggest Olympics advertising sales ever." Because of one-hour time difference between Rio and the east coast of the U.S., this year's games "will feature more live events such as track and field and swimming" than in London. U.S. advertisers have "already bought out some inventory, but some prime-time advertising is still available" on the main NBC broadcasting net. NBC "has not yet revealed its streaming plans for online viewing but said digital ad sales were healthy" (REUTERS, 3/29).