NBC Eyes a Half-Billion-Dollar ‘Super Gold Sunday’ Between NFL, Olympics

NBC has designated Feb. 13 as “Super Gold Sunday,” and with less than a month to go before the NFL title tilt and the Winter Olympics align for the very first time, the ad dollars are piling up like so much alpine powder.

Click here to read the story at sports.yahoo.com.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are broadcast rights?
2. Why would NBC invest in the broadcast rights to the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games?
3. What are ratings?
4. Why do you think the broadcast rights to live sports are so expensive?
5. Why are ratings important to broadcast companies?
6. Why are ratings important to the NFL? To organizers of the Olympic Games?
7. According to information from this story, what is the range for how much will it cost for a 30-second commercial airing during the Olympic Games?
8. Why do you think advertisers spend so much to advertise during the Super Bowl or Olympic Games?
9. What is revenue?
10. According to information from this story, how much is NBC expected to generate in advertising revenue from the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics?
11. How significant is the revenue generated through the sale of broadcast rights to the NFL and its teams?