The IOC posted $1.1B in global sponsorship revenue in '17 and '18 combined, exceeding the prior Olympic cycle’s total in just half the time, according to an annual financial report published Tuesday. The gains are driven by several new sponsors joining the program at fees more than double what prior generations of sponsors paid. Compared to the equivalent two-year period ending with the Winter Games in '13-14, sponsorship revenue is up 144%. The IOC booked $1.003B in the full cycle ending with the '16 Rio Games. The organization in '17 added Intel and Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant Alibaba to its portfolio. Bridgestone and Toyota that year also claimed their full global rights after a phase-in period heading into Rio. Longtime sponsor McDonald’s left the portfolio in '17 in a negotiated departure three years earlier than planned. Big gains in the sponsorship bucket have helped defray a slowdown in broadcast rights revenue, which has mostly been locked into long-term deals.
PYEONGCHANG PROFITS: Meanwhile, the AP reports the IOC saw a $165M profit from the '18 Pyeongchang Games on income of $2.2B. Revenue included $1.4B from broadcasting rights and $550M from marketing income. IOC spending included $1.15B to Games organizers, national Olympics committees and sports governing bodies. There was $178M in IOC operating costs and $133M spent "promoting the Olympic Movement." Overall project spending was $187M on the Olympic House HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland.
