Instead of guaranteeing audiences for advertisers based on a household rating, which is how ad inventory in the Olympics is typically sold, NBCU will "now also account for the viewing that is taking place beyond the linear screen when selling commercial time" for the '18 PyeongChang Games, according to Jeanine Poggi of AD AGE. NBCU will "set guarantees using its Total Audience Delivery, a metric that blends broadcast and cable primetime deliveries with streaming data, for the first time" during the PyeongChang Games, which are a year away. It will do this by "selling a cumulative P2-plus rating (persons aged two or more) across all platforms." This will "allow NBCU to deliver audience guarantees with viewing that takes place both on the traditional screen and on its apps, through over-the-top devices and other non-traditional platforms." NBCU Exec VP/Sales & Marketing Dan Lovinger said the company has "already struck deals with 'multiple' advertisers who are buying on the new P2-plus metric for PyeongChang." Lovinger added that he "doesn't expect any pushback because marketers 'want to be wherever the opportunity is the greatest.'" This will be the first Olympics ads sales efforts led by Lovinger, who late last year "replaced Seth Winter as head of ad sales for the sports group." NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LII and the start of Olympic events "fall just four days apart from each other." Lovinger said that NBCU is "using the proximity of the two events to one another to introduce some new types of ad packages to the marketplace that will allow advertisers who want to be in both events to take advantage of the reach." He added that there are multiple advertisers who have already bought ad time across both properties" (ADAGE.com, 2/7).
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: This morning’s edition of NBC’s “Today” featured the network’s familiar Olympic theme music along with the headline, "Let The Countdown Begin!" NBC's Keir Simmons was in PyeongChang, and noted this will be the "most technologically advanced" Olympics in history, with organizers "promising super-fast 5G cell phone connections and virtual reality." Meanwhile, Simmons said the Olympic venues in South Korea are "almost ready with a year to go" ("Today," NBC, 2/8).
