NBCU Creates Its Own Online Ad Net

NBCU has created its version of an online ad network -- though one comprised solely of its owned-and-operated sites. Called Universal Audience Platform (UAP), the group, which will have its own logo and staff, will be headed by Nick Johnson, svp, NBCU Digital Media Sales. He will report to Peter Naylor, evp, NBCU Digital Media Sales. (Johnson and Naylor are pictured at right.)The UAP group will sell display inventory across 21 sites on an audience basis, including NBC.com, USANetwork.com, Bravotv.com, iVillage.com, Telemundo.com, as well as NBC’s 10 O&O TV station sites. As a result, NBCU will “sharply curtail” selling its inventory via third-party ad networks, said Naylor -- following the lead of several top publishers such as ESPN.com. While NBCU will continue to use some networks to sell international impressions, the company’s move to take control of its online ad sales is aimed at positioning NBCU as a high-reach alternative to ad networks and portals like Yahoo. While UAP will not initially include the NBCU joint nets (MSNBC.com, Weather.com, CNBC.com), execs say that the network will reach close to 60 million unique users. “This allows us to go after a billion-dollar segment of the market we don’t always play in,” said Naylor. Of course, NBCU isn’t the first big media company to attempt to counter the rise of networks by launching its own. But what makes UAP different is that it embraces audience-based selling as well as agency-run demand-side buying platforms (DSPs), two trends many publishers fear. Buyers will be able to purchase impressions against specific target audiences via UAP using their own data or data from third parties like BlueKai, Quantcast or Claritas. While such buys will ultimately be transparent, agencies won’t be able to cherry-pick individual sites ahead of time. “This allows us to target frequent business travelers across all of our sites,” said Naylor. “You take the horoscopes section of iVillage. Now it’s not just a place that delivers millions of page views. It’s a place to reach millions of moms with kids.”Yet many traditional sellers say that approach cheapens the importance of premium sites. For example, Turner, which launched its own premium ad network a few years ago, doesn’t allow buyers to use client or third-party data to purchase inventory on an audience basis. But Naylor doesn’t believe that publishers need to take a hard stance one way or another. Thus, as part of the UAP launch, NBCU is formally announcing partnerships with Publicis’ VivaKi, IPG’s Cadreon, Omnicom Trading Desk and Havas Adnetik -- though no dollar figures have been disclosed.Execs from those companies praised NBCU for being forward thinking. “NBC’s been thoughtful about this,” said Curt Hecht, CEO of the VivaKi Nerve Center. “They’ve been learning from testing with us [since 2008], and they know we’re not out to commoditize them.”Nathan Woodman, managing director at Adnetik, said many clients are drawn to the idea of targeting very specific users via exchanges, but still want some assurance of editorial quality. “Brand-conscious advertisers would like to be on NBC sites, and they’ll pay a price for that,” he said.

Performance Marketing

NBCU Creates Its Own Online Ad Net

Mike Shields

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