The Olympics head to Paris next month with a mix of glamor and comforting familiarity.

After years of far-flung locations and a pandemic, the Games should be a big winner for U.S.-centric brands, which will welcome the friendlier time zone, ability to activate among actual fans, and the alluring setting for the global sports competition, experts say. The event should also dominate the cultural conversation, whether from the rise in popularity of women’s sports to the interest in novel medal events meant to capture Gen Z’s attention, such as break dancing, sport climbing and skateboarding.

“We got a little derailed in Tokyo from a COVID perspective, there was a delay, fans weren’t able to be a part of the build-up, and that was kind of a bummer,” said Basia Wojcik, VP, sports at The Marketing Arm, referring to the last Summer Games, which were delayed a year to 2021 as result of the pandemic. “So this feels like the first one that’s back on track.” 

During the most recent Olympics, the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, East Coast U.S. viewers had to deal with a 13-hour time difference. Games in Korea (2018) and Tokyo had a similar time difference. Paris is six hours ahead of the East Coast.

According to Nielsen Fan Insights, U.S. general public interest in the Paris Olympics is at 36%—second only to the NFL over the last six months. And nearly two-thirds of fans are planning on watching at least some coverage of the Paris Games, Nielsen Fan Insights added.

Here’s more of what you need to know about the Games in the City of Light.

Check out Ad Age’s Olympics blog for the latest marketing news throughout the Games.

When are where are the Olympics?

The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad begin Friday, July 26 and conclude Sunday, Aug. 11.

The activity will be centered around Paris, and viewers will know that, as organizers put a premium on the city’s existing sites and attractions. The Aquatic Centre, where artistic swimming, water polo and diving events are scheduled, is the only facility purpose-built for the 2024 Games; others are existing sites, repurposed facilities or temporary venues. A beach volleyball stadium is beneath the Eiffel Tower, archery will be held at the famed Esplanade des Invalides, and equestrian and modern pentathlon events are to be contested on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Surfing won’t be quite as accessible. It’s being held in the French territory of Tahiti, about 2,500 miles away.

Swiss watchmaker Omega, an official Olympic sponsor, beautifully captured the feel of Paris and sports competition in its new ad.

Who Sponsors the Olympics?

Anheuser-Busch InBev, Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola Co., Deloitte, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Toyota and Visa are worldwide Olympic partners with exclusive global marketing rights to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Comcast, Delta, Fanatics, Lilly, Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren are official partners of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Nielsen Fan Insights found approximately 35% of global fans are likely to be interested in the products and services of a sponsoring brand of the Olympic Games.

What have Olympic advertisers done so far?

AB InBev, which became a worldwide partner earlier this year, is using the event to promote Corona Cero, a non-alcoholic beer (AB InBev controls the Corona brand everywhere but in the U.S., where it belongs to Constellation Brands). AB InBev’s U.S. partnership is built around its Michelob Ultra brand.

Also read: Why AB InBev is returning to the Olympics

Simone Biles continues in her role as a brand ambassador for Athleta, which is taking its “Power of She” platform to the Olympics for the first time. The Gap-owned brand is delivering what should be a familiar message to Olympic watchers this year–inspiring women athletes such as U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky will also be featured in the campaign. The ad featuring Biles (below) was created in-house by Athleta.

There’s a lot of unseen hard work and persistence behind so-called “Prodiges,” as Visa’s Olympic anthem of the same name reveals. The Wieden+Kennedy ad features successful figures from all walks of life, including musician Pharrell Williams, race car driver Daniel Ricciardo and Olympic skateboarder Sky Brown, among others.

Procter & Gamble Co., which traditionally has saluted the Olympics with an overarching corporate anthem, is taking a new tact this year, focusing multiple efforts on 30 separate brands, with merchandising tie-ins at 150 retailers in 40 countries. The effort includes a new campaign for Venus, “The Power of Smooth,” and a new gold razor for Gillette and its Gillette Labs line. ZzzQuil will have a “Sleep Like an Everyday Champion” campaign and Always has a spot featuring Great Britain long jumper Jazmin Sawyers dealing with period anxiety at a track event.

Where will the Olympics be televised?

Coverage is handled by NBCUniversal’s NBC broadcast network along with the streaming service Peacock, with Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo and Universo.

NBC will provide at least nine hours of daytime Olympic coverage every day and a three-hour primetime show. With Paris six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the U.S., the daytime coverage will feature that day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. The three-hour primetime broadcasts will include a mix of the day’s best competitions, highlights, athlete close-ups and more. NBC and Peacock will air live coverage of the opening ceremony on July 26, beginning at noon ET.

As the Games’ streaming home, Peacock will provide what NBCU called “the most comprehensive Olympic destination in U.S. media history.” Peacock will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events, and will offer access to full-event replays, curated video clips and more.

NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032, including Milan Cortina, Italy (2026), Los Angeles (2028) and Brisbane, Australia (2032). A host city for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games has not yet been chosen, although the IOC has recommended the French Alps.

Will there be celebrities?

You bet. Mike Tirico, who will host NBC’s primetime coverage for the fifth time, will be the most visible U.S. sportscaster in Paris. He’ll have help from a team of celebrities including Jimmy Fallon, Alex Cooper, Peyton Manning, Kelly Clarkson, Leslie Jones and Snoop Dogg, whose interviewing style is illustrated below.

NBC hasn’t forgotten the kiddos. Sesame Street Muppets Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and Tango will be featured in activations across Sesame Street’s social media platforms leading into the Games, focused on their journey to Paris in a hot air balloon. Once in Paris, NBCU said it would incorporate the characters into social and broadcast coverage.

More news: Brands are marketing around the summer of soccer

How much are Olympic ads selling for?

According to four media buyers, the price for a 30-second spot in Olympics primetime coverage is in the $750,000 to $850,000 range. Some sources said clients scored deals even lower than that while another source familiar with dealmaking said the asking price was even higher than that range.

Dan Lovinger, NBCU’s president of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships, said during a press event in April that the network was on track to generate the most ad sales ever in the Olympics, with $1.2 billion in ad commitments and $350 million of that coming from first-time advertisers. The strong interest, Lovinger said, stems from the Olympics’ power to attract mass attention in a world where audiences have become ever more fragmented.

NBCU is expected to give an update on ad sales at a press event scheduled for June 26.

What are the top storylines?

Caitlin Clark or not, audiences will tune into women’s sports, said Jon Stainer, managing director, Nielsen Sports.

“Particularly here in the U.S., we’re seeing significant growth in viewership and engagement for women’s sports, basketball and soccer in particular,” he said.

Recent news: 5 women’s sports topics to know about

That Cailin Clark failed to make the U.S. women’s basketball squad “if anything, is just creating more profile and interest in the media, for consumers to latch on to in the lead-up to the Games,” said Stainer. “I think actually, it’s presenting itself as a great storyline as an Olympic consumer to get interested in the game, and follow the U.S. women’s team here throughout the duration of that … campaign.”

It’s not as though the U.S. women won’t offer a compelling story—Brittney Griner is going for her third gold medal.

Ad spending for women’s sports through May 31 this year was six times higher than the same period in 2023 and close to the same increase over the same period in 2022, according to Nielsen Ad Intel.

Athlete influencers will be another theme. Like all sports events, the Olympics is eager to expand its audience and its prospects with young viewers. That’s been a focus of Team USA’s marketing messages and is the force behind some of the Games’ new competitions such as skateboarding (added in Tokyo in 2021) and break dancing, also called breaking, which will be contested for the first time in France.

American breakdancer Victor Montalvo, who is considered among the gold medal favorites, has brand deals with Athletic Brewing, Jack in the Box and Shiseido, among others.

Japanese teenager Momiji Nishiya, who will be defending her Tokyo gold medal in skateboarding, is another athlete to watch, said Stainer.

“I think there’s been some really interesting storylines, both at an athlete level and sport level, and in continued growth of women’s fandom and viewership,” Stainer said.

Brands like athletes who can bring their own audiences. One is Biles, who has 7 million social followers and whose return to competition is one of the Games’ most compelling stories. Biles has brand deals with Wheaties, Coca-Cola Co.’s Powerade, Athleta and Nulo pet food.

Ledecky is entering her fourth Olympics looking to add to her collection of seven gold medals. Ledecky earlier this year announced brand deals with Athleta and Core Power, the protein shake from Coca-Cola Co.’s Fairlife brand. British diver Tom Daley, who has deals with Adidas and BMW, brings more than 3 million social followers to his fifth Olympic Games.

What’s ahead for the Olympics?

Even before the 2024 Games in Paris nad the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, brands and advertisers are planning for 2028 in Los Angeles. Delta Airlines has already unveiled its L.A. Olympics logo, for instance.

“It’s like the rehearsal dinner before the wedding,” said Wojcik. “I think people who are thinking about being in LA are probably doing at least a few small things now, to try to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Adding to the anticipation of Los Angeles is its unusually long on-ramp—the IOC awarded the Games to Los Angeles in 2017, allowing for the logistical challenges of the event, which are the first Olympics on U.S. soil since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

“Having a domestic host after however many years—it’s been a long time,” Wojcik said. “So I think everyone’s really excited.”

Contributing: Parker Herren