NBCU, Google in Ad Partnership

NEW YORK/MOUNTAIN VIEW,
September 9: NBC Universal has entered into a multiyear partnership that sees
it working with Google to attract more non-traditional advertisers to its
portfolio of assets, while also selling cable ad time through the Google TV Ads
platform.

NBCU will offer national
advertising time from several of its cable networks through the self-service
Google TV Ads offering. Inventory from SCI FI, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Sleuth and
Chiller will be made available to in the coming months, with potential for
expansion to other assets in the future. NBCU and Google have also agreed to
collaborate on adapting the Google TV Ads platform for local-market use. As
part of the agreement, NBCU can set parameters around the purchase of the
available ad time. The partnership gives NBCU access to the large base of
advertisers using Google’s AdWords online advertising program, many of whom are
not currently TV marketers. The two companies will share in all ad revenue.

NBCU and Google will also
collaborate on a series of custom marketing and research projects using Google
TV Ads, which, via its partnership with DISH Network, can report
second-by-second set-top box data.

Mike Pilot, the president
of NBC Universal Sales and Marketing, said: “We’re extremely pleased to join
forces with Google on this effort, which will help us develop better
accountability and ROI metrics for our advertisers and attract an entirely new
group of clients to television advertising. This is another step in our
commitment to trying innovative advertising approaches and testing new
technologies that can help benefit our clients.”

Tim Armstrong, Google’s
president of advertising and commerce for North America, added: “The Google TV
Ads platform is making television advertising more accountable and measurable
and we're pleased with our progress to date. Our partnership with NBCU will
help us bring the power of television to a broader set of advertisers as well
as give our current advertisers increased reach through our system.”

—By Mansha Daswani