Comcast unveils unified TV ad buying solution, Universal Ads

Comcast announced Universal Ads, a platform uniting major media companies to streamline premium video advertising purchases, with launch planned for the first quarter of 2025.

The platform’s initial partners include Fox Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Roku, AMC Networks, A+E, DIRECTV, TelevisaUnivision and Xumo. The system will enable advertisers to purchase video inventory across multiple publishers through a single interface.

“Universal Ads has been purpose-built in response to what advertisers have been asking from Comcast. That is, make TV simpler to buy, scale and measure in a way that is compatible with the needs of performance marketers, and really, all marketers,” said James Rooke, president of Comcast Advertising.

The platform includes Universal Ads Manager, a free self-service buying tool, and plans to offer automated AI-driven TV commercial production. The system will provide access to premium video inventory reaching more than 90% of U.S. households.

A 2024 Comcast Advertising study of 250 performance-based advertisers found that 50% of advertisers with minimal TV experience reported diminishing returns from social media. The study indicated 89% would consider TV advertising.

The platform builds on FreeWheel’s ad technology infrastructure. According to FreeWheel, about 20% of premium video is currently traded programmatically, compared to 75% of connected TV ads overall, as reported by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Comcast appointed James Grant to lead the Universal Ads initiative, with former Snap executive James Borow heading product and engineering teams.

The system will include a marketing API for developers to build reporting, measurement and creative generation applications.

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