NBCUniversal, In Latest Blow To Nielsen, Elevates iSpot To Ad Currency

NBCUniversal will offer iSpot’s data as official currency at its upfront in May. This expansion is part of the company’s relationship with ad-tracking firm iSpot. 

Here is why it matters

In a blow to Nielsen, the longtime predominant ad currency, NBCUniversal will activate iSpot.tv’s cross-platform audiences as currency for national ad buys. Comscore will be the currency for local ad buys. 

• In the face of the advertising industry’s transition from legacy systems that have struggled to adapt to streaming media, NBCU has been one of the most aggressive incumbent media conglomerates trying to revolutionize TV measurement and advertising.
• Kelly Abcarian, EVP of Measurement & Impact for NBCU, declared during the company’s “One22”- a tech-style advertising innovation summit,

We’re heading to Radio City, and this year’s upfront, ready to activate against iSpot’s cross-platform audience. Our long-awaited, multi-currency future has finally arrived. We’ve got the technology. We’ve got the data. And we’re ready to help today.

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Details

• Ad partners of NBCU can use the data from iSpot.tv as its currency to negotiate cross-platform ad buys. Additionally, it integrates with OpenAP’s OpenID for identifying linear and digital audiences. Axios quoted Stu Schwartzapfel, iSpot.tv’s senior vice president of media partnerships.

“NBCU’s integration of our data with partners such as OpenAP enable the industry to trade on specific audiences instead of broad demos, which paves the way for better, more impactful ad experiences and clearer return on ad spend for brands.” 

• As with its media peers, NBCU has long complained that Nielsen ratings, the main currency between ad buyers and sellers, don’t accurately reflect viewership and damage their profits. Even though NBCU did not mention Nielsen by name, the company is still expected to be a part of the upfront season due to preexisting contracts.
• As part of its Certified Measurement Program, the company announced eight new certifications that will aid in audience measurement and verification. Comscore, DoubleVerify, IAS, Oracle Advertising, Innovid, Comcast’s Freewheel, and Innovid will join iSpot in its endeavor to create an interoperable currency ecosystem for capturing audience data, serving ads, verifying audiences, and cataloging ads.
• NBCU’s Ad Smart platform will also enable advertisers to target both streaming and traditional linear content with iSpot viewership data.

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Taking a broader view: 

• Since streaming has increased the need for digital measurements, companies have sought alternatives to Nielsen. Linda Yaccarino, NBCU’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships, said at the event,

Even as behavior changes, whether you’re talking mobile, social, or the metaverse — you still need great content and IP for consumers to care.  And here’s the thing: all that great content now has real data to back it up. Thanks to identity and first-party data — we can finally stop talking about the panels of the past and start focusing on a full-funnel future.

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