NBCUniversal Expects Record-Breaking $1.25 Billion in Ad Sales for Paris Olympics

NBCUniversal is expected to surpass $1.25 billion in ad sales for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, according to multiple media reports. If this happens, it will break a record for the company that has held the broadcasting rights to the Summer Olympics since 1988.

The company has secured more advertisers than 2016’s Rio and 2020’s Tokyo combined. Not only that but digital ad revenue has more than doubled, setting a record for NBCUniversal.

Of these advertisers, over 70% are new. Additionally, nearly half a billion dollars in ad spend has come from first-time sponsors.

“The 2024 Paris Games have delivered a uniquely powerful halo for brands at an incredible scale with a highly engaged and passionate audience,” Mark Marshall, NBCU’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships, said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “We are proud to have secured the highest Olympic and Paralympic advertising in the history of the Games, and are grateful to our advertisers for their partnership.”

At an event for the Olympics earlier this summer, NBCUniversal executives emphasized that the 2024 events were on track to deliver an all-time record. Spending from advertisers already surpassed $1.2 billion in commitments as of April. That number included $350 million from new advertisers. As previously reported by TheWrap, the network already sold out of all inventory for both the opening and closing ceremonies across linear and digital. The company also sold out of halftime sponsorships for team competitions across numerous platforms, Olympic Prime pod sponsorships and 95% of its custom and primetime-focused marketing integrations. 

This is far from the only record the Paris 2024 Olympics has set for the media company. On Monday, the company reported that the opening Sunday of the 2024 Olympics brought in 41.5 million viewers, nearly double the opening Sunday of competition for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Streaming for the first three days of the Paris Olympics has also already surpassed streaming for the entire Tokyo Olympics. The first three days for Paris brought in 4.5 billion streaming minutes led by Peacock. For comparison’s sake, Tokyo saw 4.48 billion streaming minutes in total across all of  NBCUniversal’s digital platforms.

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