Media

Olympics Could Still Be a Win for NBCUniversal

The Olympics have endured all sorts of challenges related to the pandemic, but it’s still be a strong property for NBCUniversal.
The company expects to make significantly more in ad revenue than it did during the 2016 Summer Games.

Jul 23, 2021 | 05:37 am

UPDATED Jul 23, 2021 | 05:53 am

IOC/Design: Alex Brooks

The Olympics have been a mess for Japan, but they might not be for NBCUniversal.

The Games’ primary U.S. broadcaster expects to bring in $2.25 billion in ad revenue, per the New York Times, nearly double the $1.2 billion it earned from Rio 2016.

While advertisers have adjusted strategies to reflect the pandemic-related struggles the Tokyo Olympics have endured, they ultimately expect a large audience, and are willing to pay for ad space.

NBCU has set the price of a 30-second primetime commercial at $1.25 million.
In 2011, NBCU parent Comcast paid the International Olympic Committee $4.38 billion for the four Olympics from 2014 to 2020. It extended that deal in 2014 to include the Summer and Winter Games from 2022-2032 for $7.75 billion.
NBC partnered with Twitch to produce 150 hours of programming surrounding the Games; Snapchat is creating five daily shows.

NBCUniversal has a slew of top sports broadcasts on the schedule in the coming year: It will air the Super Bowl in February and the FIFA World Cup in November 2022.

The network is reportedly seeking up to $6 million for each 30-second Super Bowl ad and has already sold 85% of those slots.