• Reuters, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 11:30 AM

NBC Universal has already sold about three-quarters of its Olympic ad inventory and has yet to see any marketer pullback in the face of the burgeoning--and highly publicized--anti-Chinese protests, says Chief Executive Jeff Zucker.

Indeed, even as raucous demonstrations in Europe have forced the extinguishment of the famed Olympic Torch on its road to Beijing, Zucker says that ad prices have been "incredibly strong. The fact is the Olympics are a sporting event on the world stage." He adds that "it's not surprising that some would try to use that stage to further their own causes and we understand that, but at the end of the day this is about the event and both the advertisers and our viewers understand that." Furthermore, he adds, "we've seen no evidence of any discomfort with anything regarding the Olympics."

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