Hugh Scallon’s Post

Watch any sports last week? Of course you did! 🦃 ...and you weren't the only one. As of today, more than 160 million Americans regularly watch #livesports —nearly 50% of the total population – and of those millions, 78 million currently tune in on digital devices with that number projected to rise to over 126 million by 2027. Read on to learn how to capitalize on live sports advertising, no matter your budget. #ctvads #tvads #digitaladvertising #ott #streamingsports https://lnkd.in/e8F-agDc

Months before the opening ceremonies, NBCUniversal announced it had already sold $1.2 billion in ad commitments for te upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, which run from July 26 to August 11. The broadcaster is on track to set a new record for ad revenue, according to Dan Lovinger, NBCU’s President of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships. Ad space is sold out for both the opening and closing ceremonies across NBC’s linear TV and Peacock, its streaming platform. Lovinger adds that new records have been set for digital advertising revenue. And a boatload of new money is expected, with $350 million so far coming from first-time advertisers. READ: https://lnkd.in/gMjZ6arV

"NBCUniversal, which will broadcast the Olympic Games this summer, will make some of its inventory available programmatically for the first time, it announced Wednesday during the company’s annual One24 tech showcase. To do it, the broadcaster is partnering with The Trade Desk, which will build a private marketplace that’ll let advertisers bid on everything from the US Olympic Trials to the Paris Games." The interesting statistic is that much of that is streaming; in fact, more than 30% of Peacock ads are sold programmatically. With this much riding on the streaming service Peacock, we need to ask who is actually watching the local broadcasting channels for these big events anymore. With lower viewership due to streaming services, how will this impact the local stations as well as the agencies that place regional and local media buys when they can buy from the programmatic side? This should translate to lower rates for the local advertisers on the stations, especially since they have a fractional audience. #Olympics #localbroadcast #programmatic

The Olympic countdown is on with just 70 days until the opening ceremonies in Paris - a highly anticipated global sporting event and a significant milestone in the advertising industry. NBCUniversal is reporting record-breaking ad sales of $1.2 billion (and counting) and a surge in spending from International Olympic Committee sponsors. And in an Olympic first, every Paris event will be available on its streaming service Peacock. This proactive step was made in an effort to capture the shift in consumer viewing habits towards digital platforms - both through online content and social media. #ParisOlympics #AdvertisingTrends #DigitalMarketing

🔥 NEW BLOG on monetising fandom With all the focus on the cost-of-living crisis and cheaper advertising tiers to stop subscribers churning, SVOD services are not focusing as much time on that all-important metric: In-app engagement time. Fans are looking for easy ways to indulge in, connect with, and create with the IP and content they love. But most SVOD services remain libraries of content that do little to extend the fan experience once the TV series or movie has been watched. Monetising fandom must be dealt with delicately, but I think all SVOD services should keep an eye on what the sports streaming service DAZN is doing, particularly around their partnership with the sports merchandise platform Fanatics. Soon DAZN subscribers will get served personalised merchandise recommendations, and be able to buy them with one-click purchasing through the app. Watching the team you love, and then being able to buy their merchandise in the same app is a logical step for increasing engagement time and securing retention. My thoughts on the wider implications for this deal and captured here in this blog post: https://lnkd.in/e6CteDiD Link to the DAZN press release is in the blog

✅⬇️ Deadline (7/20): “Paris Olympic sales are already at nearly double the pace of the pandemic-delayed 2020 Games, with about $100MM in ad commitments from brands who did not take part in Tokyo. Sports has also boosted Peacock, which drew a 30% uptick in upfront commitments compared with 2022. The 3-year-old streaming service had 22MM subscribers as of last March. The streaming initiative began with “free as a bird” marketing and an emphasis on free, ad-supported viewing but has since shifted toward paid subscriptions. Along with a raft of originals, Peacock has onboarded WWE Network, Reelz and Hallmark programming and also ramped up live sports. Telemundo posted its fourth straight year of upfront growth, coming in just shy of a double-digit increase over 2022, NBCU said. Volume was the highest it has been since 2019-20 as Hispanic viewers continue to show strength compared with the broader market.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #upfront https://lnkd.in/ePmGpKTT

From fans to advertisers, everyone wants more sports. That’s good news for the underappreciated sports that have long flown under the radar. In 2024, we expect one (or more) niche sports to break through to reach mass audiences.     Learn why under-the-radar sports are poised for a breakout year. https://lnkd.in/e4byKBBH #Streaming #Advertising #Predictions #Sports

✅🖥️ Variety (4/9): “Advertisers have snapped up all the commercial inventory tied to both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, NBCU said, across both traditional TV and digital video. The company has also sold 13 different “Prime Pods” slated for the Olympics, or a single sponsorship of a half hour in primetime otherwise airs commercial-free. More than $350MM of the ad commitments secured so far has come from advertisers who have not previously bought Olympics time. Paris offers new possibilities, including an easier management of time differences between Europe and the U.S. NBC hopes to take advantage of the locale with more celebrities and influencers woven into its programming and a new navigation system on Peacock. NBCUniversal expects to secure a new high in advertising support for its Paris Olympics, giving it confidence in a new programming strategy that will put every live event on its streaming Peacock hub while reserving primetime on NBC for a curated showcase.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #olympics https://lnkd.in/eCT4d6ek

Livestreaming one game is the first step in CTV adoption. The Olympics will provide a window into the next phase, where everyone watches something different. People will take advantage of CTV in novel ways, creating new habits that could shape the future of CTV advertising in Europe and beyond. Sports Business Journal Operative #Paris2024

Let's talk about Olympics now. The Paris Summer Olympics are just around the corner, This isn't just another Olympics; it's a historic return to Paris, which last hosted the Games a century ago in 1924. But here's the twist—there’s a programmatic spin to it! NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery are shaking up Olympic advertising with cutting-edge programmatic ad opportunities. By bringing inventory on Peacock and Eurosport to private marketplaces, they're democratizing access to the Olympic audience for brands of all sizes. This game-changer allows smaller advertisers to get in on the Olympic action, a space traditionally dominated by industry giants. In Q1 2024, 38% of brands upped their programmatic spend, underscoring this booming trend. With NBCU gunning to dominate online audience sales and WBD rolling out WBD Connect, the future of Olympic advertising has never looked brighter! Get ready for a new era in Olympic advertising! #Advertising #Olympics #NBCUniversal #WarnerBrosDiscovery #ProgrammaticAds #MarketingInnovation https://lnkd.in/gQw-vwdH