Marketing the Olympics within the Olympics

On-air promotion is a key tool for gaining audiences and networks spend millions of dollars each year to promote upcoming programs. Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics, NBC conducted extensive research to determine a programming and promotional strategy that would yield the highest ratings. Research results indicated which sports should get extended television coverage and which should be promoted on-air during their 17 prime-time broadcasts. The strategy that NBC employed apparently was effective, suggesting the Olympics to be a successful vehicle for promoting some prime-time series in NBC's post-Olympic line-up. The question is: was the Olympics an equally successful vehicle for promoting itself? This paper explores NBC's on-air promotional strategies during the 1996 Summer Olympic broadcast. Understanding successful strategy has potential value for promoting future Olympics and for promoting megasports in general. It also can contribute to the growing body of research on salience theory related to sport...