NBCUniversal to include four months of content building up to next summer’s Paris Games
The GIST: It’s not all doom and gloom at Twitter. On Wednesday, the company told ad buyers that it plans to expand its Olympics-centered partnership with NBCUniversal (NBCU) to include four months of content building up to next summer’s Paris Games.
The details: “Countdown coverage” around the U.S. Olympic trials and other premiere events will begin next February. Once athletes land in Paris for the Games, NBCU will produce a live daily show on Twitter featuring interviews with Olympians and content about the host city. Magnifique.
- NBCU will also use the English-language NBC Olympics and Spanish-language Telemundo Deportes Twitter accounts to show highlights and segments of the opening and closing ceremonies.
The context: Following Elon Musk’s takeover last year, the ad business has not been booming for Twitter. Many top advertisers flew the coop, and Twitter’s ad revenue is projected to fall 28% YoY. Advertising historically comprises 90% of its total revenue, and although Musk said Twitter could break even by EOY, he also hasn’t ruled out bankruptcy.
Zooming out: NBCU’s renewal serves as a vote of confidence in Twitter as a sports social media mainstay for now. It may make sense for media companies and sports organizations to stay the course on the troubled but familiar platform, but it’s worth asking: Can NBCU (and its Musk-supporting sales chief) convince advertisers to flock to Twitter?
