In an email to staff this morning, Nine CEO Mike Sneesby has confirmed that Olympic advertising revenue has increased by more than $5 million dollars since before the games started.
“Before the games commenced, I let you know that we had secured $135 million in advertising revenue for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic coverage. That figure has now increased to more than $140 million as our sponsors and advertising partners have embraced Nine’s platforms and coverage,” he wrote in the email seen by B&T.
“We have always focussed on making strategic investments that deliver profitable outcomes for our business, ensuring that we have a financially strong and sustainable platform for growth and continued investment in quality content and journalism. Your united efforts and commitment have ensured that these games are delivering an important profitable contribution to our business this financial year, setting us on a fantastic path as we continue on our journey as Australia’s home of the Olympics through to Brisbane 2032”.
Toyota, Woolworths, Harvey Norman, and NRMA were all announced in January as Nine’s premium broadcasting partners for the 2024 Paris Games.
“No other media company in Australia can reach all Australians like Nine can. Nine’s Olympic and Paralympic Games coverage will not just be world-class, but world-leading, and we are thrilled to partner with some of the biggest brands to ignite the Olympic spirit, engage and connect Australians like never before,” said Nine’s chief sales officer, Michael Stephenson at the time.
Sneesby also took the time to acknowledge the massive effort across Nine to deliver what he referred to as “the best and broadest coverage of an Olympic Games that Australians have ever seen.”
“The dedication and commitment of every Nine team member involved in preparing for the Games and now covering the Games for our audiences is inspiring. You have worked as a team, overcoming many challenges and time zones to deliver world-class coverage on our unrivalled Television, Publishing, Streaming, and Radio platforms,” he wrote.
“While our Aussie athletes are turning it on in Paris, making our nation proud and breaking records, you are setting a new standard for Olympic coverage”.
“These results show we are delivering for our loyal Australian audiences and our advertising partners like never before,” Sneesby said.
Nine Entertainment Company secured the broadcast rights to the Summer and Winter Olympics for the next decade back in 2023 which will include the Brisbane 2032 games. The deal saw the rights taken away from Network Seven, who had broadcast the previous four games since 2014, for more than $300 million.
“A major sporting event like this and a partnership with the IOC becomes a very important pillar to defining who Nine is as a media business,” Sneesby said when the deal was signed.
Nine’s broadcast and 9Now coverage have reportedly reached a huge 10.5M average daily viewers. The first week of the games saw 9Now record the highest weekly BVOD reach of any broadcaster since VOZ commenced (Dec 2021), reaching over 6M viewers.
Stan Sport has also seen record viewing numbers and subscribers reaching unprecedented levels as Australians have flocked to the streaming service to take in all the Olympic glory.
