NBCU Sells $1 Billion in Olympic Games Ad Time

NEW YORK: As it gears up for the official opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games tomorrow, NBCUniversal says it has sold $1 billion in national TV and digital advertising for its coverage, about $150 million more than for the 2008 games in Beijing.

The conglomerate will cover the games across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Olympics Live Extra mobile and tablet app, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D channel. NBCU says that its plans to live stream 3,500 hours "significantly contributed" to reaching the $1 billion milestone. Digital ad sales have topped $60 million—three times more than 2008, when the group live streamed 2,200 hours and had no mobile or tablet coverage.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment that is a credit to the hard work of our entire Olympic team and speaks to the long-term benefits of our Olympic investment," said Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports Group. "The proliferation of our digital, mobile and tablet Olympic content, including the decision to live stream all sporting events, played a vital role in reaching this extraordinary milestone."

Seth Winter, the executive VP of sales and sales marketing at NBC Sports Group, added, "This feat is a testimony to the quality of Olympic programming and the unparalleled way NBCU presents, produces and covers the games. It also demonstrates the power of the Olympics. No other property has such as diverse group of sponsors, who can target the broadest range of demographic and psychographic audiences. We are not done yet and will continue to sell during the Games."