NBC - OLYMPICS NOT A BIG MONEYMAKER FOR NBC, CEO SAYS

OLYMPICS NOT A BIG MONEYMAKER FOR NBC, CEO SAYS

One week after Rupert Murdoch scoffed at reports that NBC had far exceeded sales expectations for its Olympic Games telecasts ("I don't think they made much money," he said), NBC Universal's CEO appeared to confirm Murdoch's remarks. "The Olympics were profitable, not wildly profitable, but we made money on the Olympics," Jeff Zucker told the British Royal Television Society in London on Friday. He then added, "You measure success in other ways than just what it's done for the bottom line." He seemed to suggest that, beyond revenue, the Olympics also gave NBC the opportunity to promote its new programs and lift its prestige. Last season it wound up with the lowest ratings among the top four networks. "You can't sell what you can't measure," Zucker said, seeming to suggest that the company will gain indirect benefits. "Eventually it will be very significant to our bottom line," he remarked. Zucker also used the occasion to express confidence in NBC Entertainment Co-chairman Ben Silverman, who critics have predicted will lose his job if the new programs he fostered do not boost the network's ratings. "We're very pleased with the performance and the job that Ben is doing," Zucker said.

29/09/2008