NBCU said it has already sold advertising commitments worth more than $1 billion for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will begin in eight months.
Dan Lovinger, executive VP for ad sales, NBC Sports Group, said the total represented double-digit growth from four years ago and that he expects to surpass the record-setting $1.2 billion in ad sales generated by the Rio games in 2016.
Lovinger said that half of the advertisers signing up are new summer Olympic sponsors.
“This signifies the Olympic movement continues to thrive and that there’s broad interest in the games.
NBCU plans to offer a record 7,000 hours of programming across platforms and expects more than 200 million people to tune into the games and that it will be the most viewed sports event of the year.
One reason for NBCU’s sales success is a new research report that shows advertisers the level of awareness the games can help them generate. NBCU is also providing advertisers with a tool--the Olympics ad engine--that helps them make sure that their creative will be appealing.
Advertisers will be able to buy ad based on demos--rather than total viewers for the first time. Most advertisers buy the bulk of their TV advertising based on demos.
NBCU has also set up a program called “See Her Shine” that will be spotlighting female U.S. athletes.
