NBCUniversal

The new product using ATSC 3.0 “introduces personalization, hyper-localization and enhanced content capabilities to broadcast TV. Digital features advance viewer experience and enable increased engagement, advertising and measurement opportunities.” It’s now available on select NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations and is being showcased at this week’s NAB Show.

As NBC News Group chairman, Cesar Conde, is already busy overseeing the network’s broadcast and digital news operations, along with CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo and NBC-owned local affiliates. Yet the executive also has a second paid job. And a third — as a member of Walmart and PepsiCo’s corporate boards. The arrangement has raised some ethical concerns, and reveals a potential blind spot for a news business usually very serious about conflicts — real or perceived.

NBCUniversal said it has sold $1.2 billion worth of advertising in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, putting it on track to be the gold medal winner for most ad revenue ever generated by an Olympics Games. The revenue total includes about $350 million from new advertisers. Digital ad revenue has already set a record, the company said.

The executive will work closely with division leadership on investment decisions, including content rights, strategic partnerships and M&A.

NBCUniversal said it is working with Google and LiveRamp to deliver more effective personalized commercials on connected TV. NBCU is implementing Google’s Display & Video 360 Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation (PAIR) system, which lets it make its own first-party data more compatible with data from clients. NBCU would be the first major CTV provider using PAIR live later this quarter.

The offerings include Entertainment, News, Sports and True Crime channels that will feature past seasons of reality programming including The Real Housewives franchises, true crime and sports content, and acclaimed library series including Murder, She Wrote, The Lone Ranger and Little House on the Prairie. NBC and Telemundo Local FAST channels are set to arrive later this year.

The fourth annual technology conference heads to 30 Rock’s Studio 8H on March 20, while the upfront will bring iconic IP and notable back to Radio City Music Hall on May 13.

NBCUniversal‘s Peacock deal to exclusively stream the NFL‘s AFC Wild Card matchup between the Kansas City Chief and the Miami Dolphins delivered an end-zone spiking TD for the streamer, according to new data. NBCU already claimed the Jan. 13 playoff game was the biggest live-streamed event in U.S. history — delivering an average audience of 23 million viewers. While NBCU didn’t quantify the lift in Peacock subscriptions the game yielded, a new report from research firm Antenna puts a number on it: Peacock saw a total of 2.8 million sign-ups over NFL Wild Card Game weekend. According to Antenna, that makes the Chiefs-Dolphins game the single biggest subscriber acquisition event it has ever measured.

The NBCUniversal Local FAST channels are growing, well, fast. The 11 ad-supported sites representing NBC stations, which include WNBC New York and KNBC Los Angeles, began their rollout in January 2022, and the four Telemundo regional channels debuted in November 2022. “They watch for longer periods on FAST,” said Meredith McGinn, EVP, NBCU Local Media, multicast networks and original programming, adding that the average is 25-30 minutes.

The AI-driven planning and activation technology will leverage new investments in automation and data to provide advertisers “effective and unduplicated reach across screens.”

The company quietly purchased a large parcel of land in Bedford, about 45 minutes out of London, a spokesperson for Universal’s parks division confirms.

Former Apple and AMC PR exec Bernadette Simpao has joined NBCUniversal‘s Media Group as SVP of strategic communications, where she will have a specific focus on streamer Peacock. Simpao, who is based in New York, will report to Allison Rawlings, NBCU Media Group EVP of communications.

Also, Karen Kovacs is upped to president of client partnerships for the advertising and partnerships division.

The format, created by STV Studio’s label Primal Media and co-owned by GroupM Motion Entertainment, is a competition show in which the contestants are a group of popular influencers and one “ordinary guy.” The twist is that next door, a group of iconic reality stars are controlling the game to ensure that the regular guy wins.

Executives from NBCUniversal Local, Disney Advertising Sales Local, E.W. Scripps, Tegna and Ticker News shared their insights and experiences in maximizing streaming revenue and the most promising pathways to growth at a TV2025 session. Despite the expected election year bonanza, there are challenges. Among them: the lack of consensus about what currency should be used for transactions.

NBCUniversal filed its own request to televise Donald Trump’s election conspiracy trial, citing the extraordinary circumstances of a former president facing criminal charges. In an application filed today in U.S. District Court in Washington, NBCU’s legal team, led by Theodore Boutrous Jr., wrote that “Civil and criminal proceedings have been televised routinely for decades pursuant to rules in many state courts, with no prejudice to any party or to the administration of justice. If ever a trial were to be televised, this one should be, for the benefit of American democracy,” they wrote.

Comcast NBCUniversal said 2024 Olympics and Paralympics advertising sales are pacing ahead of the $1.8 billion generated by the  previous summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were moved to 2021 from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the advertising inventory in the live coverage of the Paris opening ceremony is already sold out. Also sold out are all of the planned halftime sponsorships for team events, such as basketball and soccer, across NBCU’s platforms,

NBCUniversal has found its permanent lifestyle and documentary chief. Rachel Smith has been promoted to EVP, Unscripted Content, Lifestyle & Documentaries. She replaces Rod Aissa, who left in June.

Included are 11 NBC local news channels, six regional and national Telemundo channels and NBC entertainment channels American Crimes and NBC LX Home.

CBS Studios and NBCUniversal’s Universal Studio Group have suspended a new round of overall deals due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

Access Hollywood executive producer Maureen Fitzpatrick will be leaving the show after four years, according to sources. Fitzpatrick began helming the NBC entertainment newsmagazine franchise in 2019, taking over running both the taped show and Access Live as longtime EP Rob Silverstein exited after 20 years in the position. Fitzpatrick’s departure follows the exit of production executive Justin Batey, who served as senior executive in charge of production. (Image: NBCU)

Mark Marshall has been named chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal after filling in on an interim basis. Marshall has been acting as interim chairman since May, when Linda Yaccarino departed the company to serve as CEO of Twitter. He stepped in to lead the team through its upfront, a day after Yaccarino’s departure, which NBCUniversal said resulted in cash commitments roughly in line with last year’s upfront, which was the company’s highest grossing to date, in the midst of a tough advertising environment.

Porn, sexual violence, booze and more alleged as potential suit looms.

NBCUniversal said it has completed its upfront sales, saying the dollar volume of ad commitments were “roughly in line” with last year’s upfront, which was in the $7 billion range across broadcast, cable and digital. With falling ratings, a strike by writers and actors and economic jitters, this year’s upfront has been a buyers’ market, with prices dropping for traditional commercials especially in primetime. The main exception is sports where demand remained relatively strong. Pictured: NBCU interim sales chief Mark Marshall at NBCU’s upfront presentation in May.

Universal film chief Donna Langley (left) is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner (right) exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company.

NBCUniversal has inked agreements with Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play for the entire FAST content portfolio. Xumo Enterprise, the business-to-business arm of Xumo that provides content owners, distributors and advertisers with tools and services to succeed in FAST, will power the distribution of NBCUniversal’s new FAST channels on third party services starting with Amazon Freevee.