U.S. advertising revenues for the Tokyo Olympic games on NBCUniversal channels could reach $2.25 billion, according to an estimate from Kantar.
The $2.25 billion in ad revenue would be a record, and up 20% from the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.
NBCU is planning a record 7,000 hours of Olympic programming on its broadcst, cable, digital and streaming platforms.
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But Kantar warns that the size and enthusiasm of the Olympic audience remains to be seen.
Kantar Sports Monitor finds that despite the postponement from last year, 63% of the U.S population is interested in watching what is still being called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Yet 53% of US consumers agree the games should be postponed or cancelled, according to a Express Survey conducted on Kantar Marketplace late last month.
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There are also questions about what the broadcast will look like with arenas empty because of COVID-19.
Those issues mean advertisers should exercise caution, Kantar said.
“Many Olympic sponsors are hastily adjusting to the ever-changing narrative around the Tokyo Olympics,” said Satya Menon, senior VP of Brand and Marketing at Kantar. ”Brands are rightly concerned about optics, and need to carefully adjust the tonality of their communication, keeping in mind that in much of the world, consumers are stressed, angry and less hopeful due to the pandemic.”
The Games of the XXXII Olympiad will take place July 23-Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo.
