A few days into the 2024 Paris Olympics, The Trade Desk has shared new statistics with buyers that showcase the effectiveness of the first programmatic offerings for the games, according to a leaked Trade Desk document seen by ADWEEK.  

The Trade Desk verified the accuracy of the document.

According to the document, Trade Desk clients reached 900,000 households during the first weekend of the Olympics. Clients had 350 million daily impressions available to them, though the document does not specify over what period.

NBCUniversal is bullish about testing programmatic buying in the Games. Despite only being a few days in, indicators show strength in incremental reach and return on ad spend (ROAS). The broadcaster said it saw double-digit increases off the floor pricing when it tested programmatic in the Olympic Trials.

Buyers have the potential to spend $9 million per day on a mass reach campaign, The Trade Desk said, highlighting the scalability of Olympics inventory. ROAS for Trade Desk clients has been 313%. The cost to reach a unique household of Olympics viewers is 19 cents, and 60% of these viewers can’t be reached via linear TV, The Trade Desk said.

According to a media buyer who saw the document but was not authorized to discuss the statistics, clients were only paying around half the 19-cent cost to reach a household. That source was able to buy inventory at only 16% above the floor price, which the source said was standard for programmatic buys.

Overall, The Trade Desk noted that 55% of programmatic advertisers are spending less than $5 million, and that most brands are running non-Olympics creative.

ADWEEK reported in July that The Trade Desk, NBCU’s programmatic partner for the Olympics, was charging a $60 CPM (cost per thousand viewers reached) floor price for its All Olympics offering, which includes live events and replays on Peacock and the NBCU sports app, and a $40 CPM floor for its Olympic Highlights offering, which includes news coverage, shoulder content and replays.

NBCU said on July 30 that it’s securing the highest Olympic and Paralympic ad revenue in history and has already doubled the digital ad revenue of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The company said 70% of advertisers are new.