• Mediaweek, Tuesday, July 15, 2008 11:16 AM

Mediaweek reports that NBC has sold out 85% of its online ad inventory for the Beijing Olympics, beginning Aug. 8. Major buyers include McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson, Hilton, Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch, among others. Unsurprisingly, most of their spending is being directed at video, with Mediaweek claiming that NBC plans to deliver an unprecedented 2,200 hours of live footage on NBCOlympics.com. This is pretty remarkable when you consider that during the winter games two years ago, the broadcasting giant streamed just a single hockey game live.

Due to the 12-15 hour time difference, NBC is expecting particularly heavy usage among office workers. "We have no doubt that the at-work audience is going to consume voraciously," Zach Chapman, director, digital sales, NBC Sports and Olympics told Mediaweek. According to Chapman, inventory will be sold in 15-30 second pre- and mid-roll spots, with no overlays or other on-screen ad units, per the International Olympic Committee's standards for marketing during the events.

In addition to live events, NBC will offer custom editorial programs like "While You Were Sleeping," which recaps the previous days' activity, as well "Destination Beijing," a trip-planning section that integrates Hilton's online booking tool into the NBC Olympics site.

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