NBCU has $1.2B in ad sales commitments for Paris, with more than $350M of that coming from new advertisersGetty Images
With slightly more than 100 days to go until the opening of the Paris Games, NBCUniversal is on track to break the $1.25B ad sales record it set for the Tokyo Games.
NBCU has $1.2B in ad sales commitments for Paris, with more than $350M of that coming from new advertisers, said Dan Lovinger, President of Olympic & Paralympic Partnerships.
“As the Games move to Paris, then Milano-Cortina and eventually to LA in 2028, there’s an unquestioned resurgence in Olympic interest,” Lovinger said.
Ad spots have sold out for primetime, as well as opening and closing ceremonies. Lovinger said soccer and basketball have driven sales for halftime spots.
NBCU has set a record for digital ad revenue, with the inventory on Peacock enabling more ad sales than in previous Games. For the first time, Peacock will stream every event live and on demand.
That inventory has lowered the barrier to entry to advertise for the Games and brought in new advertisers, Lovinger said.
“We’ve democratized the ability for advertisers to be part of the Olympics,” he said. “Now with the ability to market one to few instead of one to everyone, it opens up the aperture of how many advertisers can be part of the Olympic experience.”
Lovinger said NBCU is seeing a “significant upward trend” in advertising by the IOC’s TOP sponsors and domestic sponsors through the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties.
Increases in advertising have also come from various categories, including financial services, retail, entertainment and non-alcoholic beverages.
The Olympics and Paralympics are best poised to piggyback off the runaway success of this year's Women’s NCAA Tournament, where Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and a host of other stars set viewership records.
Sunday’s championship between Iowa and South Carolina set a record with 18.7 million viewers, making it not only the most watched women’s basketball game ever but topping all but four college football games last season, every NBA Finals since game five in 2017 and a host of other men’s events across other sports dating back years.
Olympic sports quadrennially provide something closer to equity in coverage, making them well poised to capitalize on the explosive growth in women’s sports.
A 2023 study from The Collective, the women-focused practice at Wasserman, found the Olympics and collegiate sports offered the most equitable share of coverage on social media.
“We’ve seen advertisers specifically come to the Olympics to reach women viewers. We’ve seen advertisers come to the Olympics to support female Olympians,” Lovinger said.
“Across NBC Universal and all of our sports properties, we are seeing a surge in interest in reaching women and supporting women in sport.”
NBC will mark 100 days to the Olympics on April 17, with five Olympic sponsors appearing on the TODAY Show. The Paris Games open on July 26.
