The clock is ticking down to 280 days, but NBCUniversal, the exclusive holder of the rights to the Games in the United States, has already done its sums: Paris 2024 is shaping up to be a record year. Dan Lovinger, head of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships, said that the group was “on the brink” of a billion dollars in advertising revenue, a performance never before achieved with just over nine months to go before the event. All the advertising space for the live and streaming versions of the opening ceremony has already been sold (there are still a few spots to be sold for the condensed version, broadcast in prime time in the United States). Advertising space has also been sold out for the team sports half-time shows, including basketball and football. Dan Lovinger also explained that NBCUniversal would be breaking new ground for the Paris 2024 Games, with the creation of “Prime Pods”, a new advertising format designed for very high audience sessions. On 13 weeknights during the Olympic Games, the group will offer viewers a full half-hour without a commercial break, with the exception of a 60-second spot – the Prime Pod – inserted in a double screen. It will appear in part of the screen, without totally masking the action on the competition field. For Paris 2024, the Prime Pods have already been sold out.
