NBC Scrambling to Sell Olympic Ad Time
June 4th, 2008
Though official NBC reps are denying these rumors, ad execs are reporting that NBC is scrambling to sell out ad time for its broadcast of the Beijing Olympics. It is estimated that NBC needs to sell anywhere from $150 million to $300 million to reach its target. The network paid about $900 million for the rights to broadcast the Games in the US and will spend another $100 million on coverage. NBC is aiming to pull in $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion in Olympic ad sales, which would top 2004’s $1 billion Athens Olympics goal. Reportedly most of the big spenders have already bought time during the Games, so NBC needs to chase after smaller advertisers to close the gap. A single ad spot is worth upwards of $750,000. NYP (June 4, 2008)