• by Wayne Friedman , April 9, 2024

With $1.2 billion in TV-video advertising already sold for the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal is on track to reel in record revenue for the event, with four months to go before it begins.

The previous record of $1.25 billion was set by the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which was held a year later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major category ad-revenue gains for this event are coming from marketers including non-alcoholic beverage brands, consumer packaged goods, financial services, retail and entertainment, according to Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic/paralympic partnerships at NBCUniversal. 

NBCU says there has $350 million in revenue coming from new advertisers, adding that digital advertising revenue -- including for streaming platforms -- has already hit new record levels.

NBCU Prime Pods -- premium 60-second “pods” for marketers that were developed in an effort to slim down the advertising glut on NBCU platforms -- have also been sold out, as well as all ad inventory in the opening and closing ceremonies.

The highest-spending brands in the 2020 Tokyo Games, according to EDO Ad EnGage estimates, included Toyota ($123.5 million); Facebook ($87.7 million); Google ($78.5 million); Chevrolet ($63.2 million); GEICO ($60.1 million); Visa ($57.55 million); Xfinity ($56.5 million); Comcast ($52.6 million); Uber ($48.7 million); and Nike ($44.0 million).

This story has been updated.