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Just days into the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal said it's on pace to surpass the record $1.25 billion in advertising sales from the Tokyo Olympics.

Why it matters: So far, the Paris Olympics are putting to rest any notion that the Games are a bad investment for NBCU, which has the rights through the 2032 Brisbane edition. 

Zoom in: NBCU said in an emailed statement that it has more advertisers for Paris than the last two Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro combined. 

Almost $500 million are coming from first-time sponsors and 70% of all advertisers are new this time around, NBCU said.

Given that TV viewership has arguably been far better than expected, it's likely that NBCU will start selling ad spots it held back in case it had to offer so-called "make goods" to advertisers if the ratings had come in under expectations.

The last time that happened in 2012, NBCU made an additional $200 million. 

Flashback: The steep drop in viewers for the Tokyo Games forced NBCU to offer free ad spots to advertisers, which made that $1.25 billion ad haul look smaller.

Between the lines: This year's Olympics feature the highest amount of live coverage on NBC's broadcast network, which typically only airs Olympics coverage in prime time. 

This year, NBC added a second three-hour window that featured live coverage from 2-5pm ET, which are prime-time hours in Paris.

Additionally, Peacock features its most expansive Olympics coverage in its short history, including all 329 medal events. 

What's next: We'll know the final ad haul sometime after the Games conclude on Aug. 11. 

NBCU expects record Olympics ad revenue for Paris Games

On pace to surpass the $1.25B haul for Tokyo Games.

Photo illustration of a Paris Olympics gold medal shaped television.

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

Paris Olympics

Just days into the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal said it&#x27;s on pace to surpass the record $1.25 billion in advertising sales from the Tokyo Olympics.Why it matters: So far, the Paris Olympics are putting to rest any notion that the Games are a bad investment for NBCU, which has the rights through the 2032 Brisbane edition.

NBCU expects record Olympics ad revenue for Paris Games

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