Comcast plans to introduce Universal Ads, a self-service ad-buying platform for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to access premium video advertising. 

James Rooke, President of Comcast Advertising, said, “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.”

What Universal Ads will offer advertisers

The platform will let advertisers buy premium videos directly from traditional media companies similar to social media ad platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube. 

According to Mark Marshall, Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships for NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, “Universal Ads is intended to create new demand from advertisers who have not traditionally worked with us,” “And while we’re starting with streaming and [small- and medium-sized businesses], in a future state this can be for linear and for agencies as well.”

Universal Ads is powered by FreeWheel technology which facilitates transactions for many premium video publishers in the U.S. The platform will allow ad buyers and sellers to transact in one place.

Comcast executives have acknowledged the growing desire among SMBs to expand their reach beyond big tech advertising platforms like Meta and YouTube. Rooke said that traditional media has been less accessible due to complex ad-buying processes. “The head-scratcher is that there’s a sort of a large number of advertisers who’ve built their businesses, or started to build their businesses, on the backs of social video.” “Yet when you talk to these advertisers there’s an increasing wish to diversify away from a very limited number of big technology companies,” he said. 

Marshall described the platform as an essential step in reaching new advertisers. "Now with Universal Ads, we are delivering the premium reach of linear and data-informed targeting to businesses of all sizes.

Partnership and rollout plan

The platform has partnered with major media companies, including NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox Corp., Roku, and AMC Networks. According to Comcast, Universal Ads will launch in Q1 2025, with additional media partners expected to join in the coming months.

Comcast also plans to offer free, automated AI tools for creating TV commercials and a marketing API for developers to build custom applications.

The launch of Universal Ads follows a trend of advertising platforms targeting small business budgets. In 2024, competitors like Meta and Google introduced AI-powered features to attract SMBs. Launching Universal Ads aims to position traditional media as an alternative to digital giants.

Marshall highlighted the platform’s potential, saying, “The north star of advertising has always been combining the premium reach of linear with the precision of data-informed targeting for marketers,” “Now with Universal Ads, we are delivering that vision to businesses of all sizes. TV has always been a performance vehicle for brands, and Universal Ads puts the scaled reach and premium content that TV is known for into the hands of marketers everywhere.”

James Grant, a Comcast executive, will lead the initiative, while James Borow, a former Snap executive, will oversee product and engineering development.

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