Olympian Price Hikes for Games Ads

In the past decade, the price of a 30-second ad during the Olympic Games has increased 115%, to $340,000 in 2004 from $158,400 in 1994, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

In a report on Olympic ad trends released Wednesday, Nielsen said that while the price of a spot during the Olympics dropped 27% between 1996 and 1998, from $250,000 to $183,000, it has consistently risen since then.

AT&T Inc. was the top advertiser for the 2004 Summer Olympics, allocating $137.7 million during the Games, Nielsen said.