At One23, NBCUniversal detailed new ways they expanding their advertising portfolio in ways that are reminiscent of Meta and other digital platforms.
At the annual One23 developer conference in New York City, NBCUniversal unveiled and detailed the many ways they are expanding their advertising portfolio and analytics to bring never before seen concepts and ideas to TV and media through their digital and linear platforms.
While many people think of NBCUniversal as owning a range of TV networks and movie studios, how that is all funded behind the scenes relies on ad dollars. We often forget that despite there being more content available than at any other point in human history, someone needs to pay for all the shows and movies we consume on a daily basis.
Netflix has only started to jump into the ad space, while brands like ROKU, TUBI, Sony, Crackle, etc, have been working on ad-supported offerings for a while now. Despite the number of people these platforms have, traditional media entities like NBCUniversal are still major players in the TV and streaming space, especially when you consider the massive 79.4 million people subscribed to peacock, their streaming offering.
During the conference, NBCUniversal gave journalists a chance to talk and hear all about what the company has in the pipeline and already working to implement for advertisers and users on their platforms. The concepts go well beyond what we would normally consider for a major US network, diving into ideas like integrating shopping, 2D, and 3D signage in programs, and even supplemental content that gives viewers new ways to interact with their favourite shows, including programs like the hit show Bel-Air.
The advancements don’t end there, with NBCUniversal using the many levels of data they have about their audience to best adapt ads to viewers’ wants and needs and try and dive into what shows people are watching and why they tune in. It is a level of data that many networks could only dream of even just ten years ago, and any streaming platform not currently running at a scale of NBCUniversal could view it as very scary indeed.
This takes many of the lessons learned from online ads and adapts them for media, giving companies and brands new ways to reach an audience never before possible with smaller budgets. It is no secret that this is how Meta (previously Facebook) scaled its business into a multi-billion-dollar-a-year offering. When it is easy to jump on and target a specific audience, all within a set budget, it opens things up to anyone with a concept and idea they want to share, and in a way previously not possible on a network like NBCUniversal.
But even though this level of data can work to help to mark the efforts of brands like GMC, L’Oréal, etc., it also can be used to build more inclusive and exciting shows. Talking with us at the pre-briefing in NYC, Peter Blacker detailed the many ways NBCUniversal is pushing the boundaries on what is considered inclusive programming. It is no longer considered enough to just have token characters, with audiences able to smell out disingenuous efforts much better than they ever have in the past. Shows like Bel Air, which are loved by audiences and critics, show this level of attention that sets them out from many other shows on TV.
Explaining that he thinks “that the window of opportunity for unauthentic storytelling is thankfully gone. The audience will immediately sniff out somebody that does not understand the appropriate representation.”
NBCUniversal, with their One Platform, along with its expensive history of shows, movies and content, is positioned to be a major disruptive force in the streaming race. While Netflix and others are jumping onto the bandwagon, the years lead and impressive content library is hard to take on, and the advances in ad tech only make this battle more difficult for competitors.
One23 further detailed the many ways NBCUniversal are digging head-first into streaming, and with the massive brands behind them, the streaming race is only just starting to heat up. While it is still the early days of streaming, with moves like what is being shown at One23, NBCUniversal has shown they are in the fight to win and will be using all the marketing muscle, advertising tech, and data to achieve those lofty goals.
