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Sponsorship support for NBC Universal’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics are reaching all-time highs, thanks in part to new advertising formats.
The International Olympic Committee has agreed to give NBC and other outlets 20 percent of the screen in order to carry still-frame and limited-motion advertising messages during the Olympics, according to TV Week. Until now, the Committee has had a policy against advertising in venues and on the screen during events.
That shift, along with the record number of hours and outlets that NBCU will broadcast or stream the games, should help the company reap its target of $1.1 billion for the Olympics.
On an average night, the network will air 75 percent of the programs live - including top events gymnastics and swimming - according to Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBCU’s Sports & Olympics, who adds that that number is “unheard of” for an Olympics in the Far East.
Ebersol also pointed out that the U.S. has not had a meaningful rival in the games since 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell and ended the cold war Olympic competition. China is in a position to challenge the U.S. for gold medal supremacy, which will bring a new dimension to the games and which excites advertisers as well as viewers.
Advertisers who have already climbed aboard include Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, Visa, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Hilton Hotels, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Subway and Target. Samsung is expected to sign a deal soon.
NBC, USA, MSNBC and CNBC will provide coverage from Beijing. Spanish-language coverage will be offered on NBC Universal-owned Telemundo. On the digital front, the studio announced earlier this month that it was teaming up with MSN and Microsoft in a strategic partnership to form “NBCOlympics.com on MSN,” which will deliver 200 hours of live event video coverage, with more than 20 simultaneous live video streams at peak times
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