X CEO Linda Yaccarino has resisted what Forbes labeled over the weekend a “groundswell of leading advertising executives” urging her to resign in the wake of antisemitic tweets by her boss, Elon Musk, and has reportedly doubled down on the company by enlisting her son in a desperate gambit to secure political advertising revenue. 

According to Semafor, Yaccarino's adult son, Matt Madrazo, is leading a “two-person” team attempting to rebuild a political advertising revenue stream that was abandoned by the erstwhile Twitter several years ago. Madrazo’s sparsely filled out LinkedIn page lists him as the “lead client partner” for X.

News site Semafor’s scoop indicates tough early going for Madrazo and his team partner in securing interest from Democrats. 

The news about Madrazo comes amid an active Monday for X, during which embattled owner Elon Musk made good on hyperbolic threats made over the weekend to sue nonprofit watchdog organization Media Matters. (You can read the suit here.)

The controversial Musk drew perhaps his biggest fireball of public backlash yet when he agreed to an antisemitic tweet on Nov. 15. 

Since that time, major advertisers including Apple, Disney, IBM, Comcast, Lionsgate and Paramount fled the platform. 

Although they didn't offer their reasons, Musk targeted Media Matters, claiming the platform falsely influenced these big sponsors to pull their support. 

“Defendant Media Matters for America is a self-proclaimed media watchdog that decided it would not let the truth get in the way of a story it wanted to publish about X Corp,” reads the suit, which was filed in a Texas court. 

Responded Media Matters president Angelo Carusone: “Far from the free speech advocate he claims to be, Musk is a bully who threatens meritless lawsuits in an attempt to silence reporting that he even confirmed is accurate. Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified.”

With X’s revenue support collapsing, Yaccarino was back in X’s San Francisco headquarters Monday, urging her team to think of new ways and means of generating revenue. 

Far from stepping aside, Yaccarino tweeted what seemed like a renewal of vows to X and Musk. 

Musk's polarizing behavior, meanwhile, threatens not just the vastly devalued but now privately owned X, but also publicly traded companies led by the billionaire, notably Tesla.

Investors remain concerned. 

"I've never had this with any company I've ever invested in ever in my life where the CEO of the company himself does so many detrimental things that [are] destroying the brand," said Ross Gerber, head of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, to Yahoo Finance. 

On the eve of NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation Monday, Mark Marshall has been named interim chairman, global advertising and partnerships, replacing Linda Yaccarino, who is leaving NBCU and is Elon Musk's choice to replace him as CEO of Twitter.

Musk at midday confirmed in a tweet that he had hired Yaccarino, She  "will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology," he said. "Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app."

Marshall, who had been president of ad sales and partnerships, will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman, NBCU Television and Streaming.

“We are grateful for Linda Yaccarino’s leadership of NBCUniversal’s Advertising Sales business, and for the innovative team and platform she has built. Linda has made countless contributions to the company during her 12-year tenure, and we wish her the best,” Comcast president Mike Cavanagh said. 

Cavanagh was put in charge of NBCU after Jeff Shell was dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship with a CNBC anchor.

Also Read: NBCUniversal Sees Upfront Market Gathering Strength

“It has been an absolute honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal and lead the most incredible team,” Yaccarino said in a statement. “We’ve transformed our company and the entire industry — and I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and grateful to my colleagues and mentors, especially Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh and the entire NBCU leadership team.”

Marshall joined NBCU in 2013, following Yaccarino from Turner Broadcasting System. He was named president at NBCU advertising sales in 2018.

LInda Yaccarino, chairman of NBCUniversal global advertising sales and partnerships, is reportedly in discussions to become CEO of Twitter.

Elon Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year, tweeted that he was expected to announce that he had a new CEO. “She will be starting in about six weeks,” he said.

NBCU executives did not return requests for comment.

Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has loosened the rules around regulating content on the site, which has scared off many major advertisers. Yaccarino would be well qualified to win some of those advertisers back.

Also Read: B+C Hall of Fame Profile: Linda Yaccarino (2018)

Yaccarino is expected to be on the stage at Radio City Music Hall Monday when NBCU kicks off the broadcast networks traditional upfront week in New York

She recently sealed a deal giving Twitter content from NBCU’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also recently interviewed Musk at an advertising conference in April.

Last month NBCU CEO Jeff Shell was dismissed by parent company Comcast. Shell admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a CNBC anchor. Comcast named its president, Michael Cavanagh, to oversee NBCU.

Comcast also said in its fourth-quarter earnings report that NBCU domestic advertising revenues had dropped 38.8%, or 6.1% excluding last year’s Super Bowl and Olympic ad sales.

At NBCU, Yaccarino has been a leader in making TV advertising more like digital advertising, creating products that target consumers using data and automating media buying. 

In his Tweet, Musk said that once a new CEO is in place, he will transition to being executive chair and chief technology officer, overseeing product, software and systems operations.

Linda Yaccarino, chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, will also serve as group chair of YMU, a talent management company.

“I am delighted to announce Linda Yaccarino as Chair of YMU Group,“ Mary Bekhait, YMU Group CEO, said. “I have been seeking the appointment of a Chair since her predecessor’s departure last year and wanted someone of exceptional caliber for the role.” Producer/promoter Harvey Goldsmith was YMU's previous chairman.

“I knew instantly I had found that person when I met Linda,“ Bekhait said. ”Her unparalleled influence, acumen and reputation are renowned. I am incredibly excited about the work that we will do together to keep driving YMU forward as the leading, global business partner for premium talent. Linda’s appointment shows the scale of ambition for the group — her value, knowledge and expertise will enable us to deliver an even better service to our clients and turbocharge our international growth.”    

Steve Aoki, Simon Cowell, Paris Hilton and Emily Ratajkowski are among YMU’s clients.

“We all know great talent when we see it,“ Yaccarino said. ”Whether it’s on stage, on the field, in front of and behind the camera, on every platform — you name it — epic performances stick with us. And for decades, I’ve supported top talent by growing global brands alongside premium content."

Also: NBCU’s Linda Yaccarino Named Ad Council Chair

“The group represents some of the most exciting, elite-level talent in the global culture space who are supported by an unparalleled, industry-leading team of global experts,“ Yaccarino said. ”I’m looking forward to working with Mary and the exceptional YMU team to support their continued growth of individuals’ brands on a global scale.” ■

Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit, which portrays itself as a leader in changing the television advertising business, said it is planning to hold its upfront events according to a fairly traditional schedule.

In a post on LinkedIn, Linda Yaccarino, chairman of NBCU global advertising and partnerships, said NBCU will hold its 2023 upfront on May 15 at Radio City Music Hall, again leading off upfront week. (In-person upfronts took a two-year pause during the pandemic.)

Every year, there are many who predict that the upfront will become an anachronism, losing its power in the face of programmatic technology and other marketplace pressures. But for at least 2023, NBCU is planning one more year of the expensive extravaganzas at which networks pitch their programming in huge theaters to throngs of ad buyers and advertisers.

This year, Fox and The Walt Disney Co. held their upfronts in new locations, promising attendees a different experience. Their plans for 2023 haven't been announced.

Also: NBCUniversal Says Upfront Sales Were Record-Setting

NBCU's upfront will be preceded by One23, NBCU’s “developer” conference where it shows off its ad technology and data capabilities, on February 8. NBCU will also again participate in the NewFronts, showing off its digital and streaming assets on May 4. 

NBCU’s Telemundo unit will also reprise its event on the Monday night of upfront week.

“Together, we’ve charted new paths forward for our entire industry. Whether it’s through advanced data or automated activations, more engaging commercial experiences, or more accurate measurement, we’re leading the way,” Yaccarino said, addressing NBCU’s ad sales staff in her note.

“We’ve long had this vision to be the best partner in our industry. And thanks to your commitment to partnership, we’re living in that future. YOU each embody the idea of service — to our colleagues, customers and consumers in equal measure,“ she said. ”And look around: your courage is catching on. So yes, 2022 was epic—but just wait for 2023.”

She thanked her team for its efforts in 2022.

“You bring our partners together around the biggest, boldest ideas in the marketplace,“ Yaccarino said. ”You show people what it takes to innovate, collaborate, and lead. And we'll need even more courage and commitment to keep up this momentum in 2023.” ■

Linda Yaccarino, chairman of NBCUniversal global advertising and partnerships, is calling on the industry to increase its public-service efforts.

Yaccarino was among the honorees at the annual She Runs It Woman of the Year Gala Wednesday night. “You all make the world around you better. You inspire me to be better—and to serve others,” she said. “I believe we all have the power and the responsibility to do the same — and build a culture of service.”

Tuesday night, Yaccarino hosted an event launching The98, an early-stage fund designed to provide resources for technology startups led by women — an example of how business leaders can set the tone and be more supportive.

Yaccarino said that service was ingrained in her early by her parents, who were both public servants.

“As a mother and — I know this is very hard to believe — as a brand new grandmother, my job is to serve my family,“ she said. ”As an employee, my job is to serve the company and all of the people who depend on me. And as a leader, it’s easy to think that you’re now the person being served. But if you are lucky enough to be in a position of leadership, you’re actually in a better position to serve — your employees, your colleagues, your clients, your partners, your community.”

NBCU recently launched Open Doors: Where Small Businesses Thrive, a program that supports diverse, small businesses by providing access to marketing and advertising resources to help spur and sustain growth. 

NBCU also works with Upwardly Global, a workforce-development organization for professional immigrants and refugees in the U.S., as part of its efforts to expand its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion internally and externally.

“No matter who you are, or where you sit, it’s up to us to build this culture of service together,” Yaccarino said. 

She said a culture of service is based on principles of empathy, unity and courage.

“I remember when empathy was considered a personality trait solely ascribed to female leaders — one that, I was told, more than once, ‘Linda, it’s going to hold you back,‘ ” she said. “But now? It’s become one of the most sought-after traits for all leaders, because to really serve someone, you must understand what they are going through. And that takes work.” 

Although businesses compete, there are times when it is better for industries to come together and pool their resources, she said, pointing to how the Ad Council tackles issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.

As chair of the Ad Council, Yaccarino saw first-hand how companies could come together and “donated time and resources to make sure people across the country had the information they needed.”

Finally, she said, creating a culture of service requires the courage to act, even if it means putting ourselves at risk.

“It takes courage to ask others to brave,” she said. “Brave enough to extend your hand across the aisle, especially when everybody’s got their arms crossed. Because they can’t keep their arms crossed if they’re shaking your hand. 

Yaccarino challenged business leaders to put in the effort to have empathy, unity and courage and commit to service.

“I promise you, if you accept that challenge, and build this culture, I’ll be the first person in your corner,” she said.  ■

Linda Yaccarino, ad sales chairman for NBCUniversal, and Laura Correnti of ad agency Giant Spoon announced they plan to start a new podcast called Sunday Supper that will feature guests talking–over a meal–about how they’ve broken traditions and moved the media business into the future.

The new podcast is being distributed by iHeartMedia with the first episodes due in the fall.

“In my house and even my office — the best days end—and the most genuine conversations start—around the dinner table,” said Yaccarino. “I’m so excited to bring all the laughter, conversations, and tough questions of an Italian home to Sunday Supper, and make our guests—and our listeners—part of the family, too.” 

Since arriving at NBCU, Yaccarino has pushed the company into advanced advertising, investing in technology and data. 

“Linda and I have worked at the intersection of media, marketing, business, and culture for decades. And yet we’ve also always operated far beyond the traditional lanes of our industry,” added Correnti. “This podcast is an opportunity to explore the connections that can take creativity, business, and technology to the next level. We’re excited to pass the meatballs, remove the formalities, and learn from some true visionaries.” 

Yaccarino’s and Correnti’s guests weren’t identified, but they promised they be among the biggest names in entertainment and business.

“Podcasting has quickly established itself as one of the most genuine, effective ways for humans to do something that is critical to all of us: have a real conversation,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “And, as two powerhouse forces in the world of media and creativity, Linda and Laura have a credibility and authenticity that is second to none. The medium is perfect for them. And the Sunday Supper podcast is the perfect  idea for it. As the largest podcast network in the country, iHeartMedia can’t wait to swing our full, mass-reach marketing and sales support behind it.”  ■

Linda Yaccarino, global chairman for advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, expected this to be a strong upfront for her company, regardless of how the rest of the market fares.

“We’re so big and kind of immune, more than the others, to the choppiness of the market,” Yaccarino told Broadcasting+Cable days before the start of upfront week. 

NBCU is in broadcast, cable, streaming news, English-language, Spanish-language, sports. “We’re in every market that there is to play in, so we have a unique perch and a unique relationship with our clients,” she said 

Also: NBCU Plays Up Varied Portfolio at Upfront Presentation

This upfront will be different because consumer behavior has changed, forcing marketers to change, too. 

“It is in my memory the biggest turning point in our entire industry,“ she said. “It’s actually an exciting, fascinating and complicated market to enter into. We feel like we have the permission to change everything.

Also: Upfronts 2022: TV Market Faces Big Questions as Presentations Start

Yaccarino wouldn’t say if media buyers and clients have already begun to register budgets to try to jump-start negotiations early. Despite current worries about inflation and supply chain issues, though, she noted that marketers looking ahead over the next nine to 12 months know they have product launches coming.

The smart companies “want to invest in companies that they believe in having a real rock-solid vision, great content that's supported by state-of-the-art tech, that can get you the inventory you need and prove its value and worth,” Yaccarino said.  “And for all those reasons, we are really confident as we go to the stage on Monday.”

Touting Ad-Tech Investments

NBCU has invested millions in ad tech and been a vocal leader in need for metrics that go beyond what Nielsen has provided for years. When it launched its streaming service Peacock, Yaccarino noted, it was designed in collaboration with advertisers with fewer traditional 30-second spots but 60 new formats designed to engage consumers.

Also: Peacock Pulls In $500 Million During Record NBCU Upfront

“NBC planned very aggressively to keep marketers in while other companies were pushing them out,” Yaccarino said. “Everybody was trying to chase Netflix,” which didn’t have commercials. 

“Our business case for ad-supported streaming … it’s like an affirmation of it by all the other companies who are now just jumping into the fray,“ she said. ”We got two years ahead of everybody. We’re extremely bullish.” 

“We named it wrong,” Yaccarino said of Peacock. “We should have named it ‘rocket ship’ because that’s how fast it’s growing.” 

In last year's market, she said, advertising dollars shifted from broadcast to digital and streaming. She expects this year's market to be more holistic, as opposed to looking at linear over here and digital over there.

“I feel really really proud that we have tried our hardest to figure out the best consumer experience that delivers marketers, the best thing they can choose to invest in,“ she said. ”Now all we have to arm-wrestle over is about price? That's not a hard thing to do.”

Yaccarino made many of the same comments during NBCU’s upfront presentation in Radio City Music Hall on Monday. 

The event was star-studded, opening with music from Kelly Clarkson and closing with Miley Cyrus.

Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Pete Davidson took shots at Peacock and the rest of NBCU, with short-lived CNN Plus caught in the crossfire.

Reinventing Measurement

In her upfront speech,  which followed more than an hour of content announcements and clips, Yaccarino talked about all NBCU has been doing to serve advertisers, including doing some heavy lifting on measurement. “We are liberating all of you from what you all know is broken and finally breaking away from legacy, she said, taking a shot at Nielsen.

“Today, you can have every single thing you’ve ever dreamed of,” she said. “Not on a silver platter, but better yet, on a single, unified platform because responding to your needs, that’s our partnership commitment,” she said.

“The question is: are you ready to commit to this future?“ she asked. “A future where first-party data is no longer the exclusive domain of the digital platforms. A future where self-serve doesn’t have to mean second-class inventory. A future where multiple currencies deliver you massive results.

“And listen, while the rest of the industry plays catch-up or tries to force-feed your ads to consumers who never asked for them in the first place, we’re the only place that consumers can actually completely trust,“ she said. ”Where the experience delivers and the future is very, very clear. Content. Technology. Partnerships all in one place. All in one place.”

Yaccarino concluded by taking on any potential rivals.

“The rest of the industry will spend the next decade trying to become Comcast NBCUniversal because we know the future is ad-supported and our entire company is already built, top to bottom, to support you, our advertisers,” she said. ▪️

Streaming video is here to stay, according to a top executive at one of the largest traditional media companies.

“When we look at the total video business, streaming has exploded in the last few years, and people are not going back,” Linda Yaccarino, chairman for global advertising sales and partnerships at Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit, said.

NBCU launched Peacock, its streaming service, in 2020, joining a race started by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus.

Also: NBCU Recognizes More Measurement Companies as Nielsen Alternatives

From the beginning a key difference between Peacock and other direct-to-consumer video products was that Peacock would be ad-supported, carrying a light load of commercials in formats that would be targeted and innovative to make the consumer experience better than the cluttered view they get from traditional TV. 

Other streaming services, including HBO Max, Discovery Plus and Paramount Plus now tout ad-supported tiers, and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services like Fox’s Tubi and Paramount’s Pluto TV are growing fact.

“As consumer prices have gone up — be it your gas, your groceries or your subscription services — it’s no surprise that ad-supported streaming has exceeded subscription streaming in the number of hours watched in the U.S.,” Yaccarino said Tuesday (March 22), speaking at NBCU’s One22 presentation of the company’s latest ad-tech developments.

To monetize Peacock and help NBCU sell ad campaigns that work across platforms, NBCU has been investing millions of dollars in data and ad tech. 

Also: NBCU Expands Programmatic Buying on Peacock Via DSPs

“Last year at One21, we introduced you to our vision of the future — across broadband, content aggregation and streaming,“ she said. “We showed you the One Platform we built to get us there, a completely new model for our industry that combines premium content and unified technology. This year, we’re going to show you what we’ve built since then.” ■

NBCUniversal plans to hold its upfront presentation for advertisers and media buyers at its traditional location–Radio City Music Hall–on Monday, May 16.

During the past two years, the upfront has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of substituting virtual presentations for in-person events and in changing the dynamics of how and when TV advertising is bought and sold.

In laying out its upfront plans, NBU said it will again hold what it calls a developers conference, focusing on technology and data capabilities. This year’s event One22, will be held March 22.

Also: Peacock Pulls In $500 Million During Record NBCU Upfront

NBCU will have content and community previews the week of April 11, giving buyers and ad buyers insight into the company’s content development and creative strategies.

NBCU will also participate in the Newfronts on May 2, focusing on Peacock and other digital media options.

In addition to the NBCU presentation on the Morning of May 16, NBCU’s Telemundo unit will have an event that evening at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.

“Every day, our goal is to make it easier for you to activate across NBCUniversal’s One Platform – and use our trusted content and legacy-busting capabilities to achieve your business goals,” Linda Yaccarino, chairman of global advertising sales and partnerships at NBCU, a division of Comcast, said in a letter to advertisers on Tuesday.

“All this is meant to give you more opportunities to connect with audiences, and the freedom to fully optimize your business on every screen. In other words, no matter the stage or event, and all year long, you and your business are at the center of everything we do,” she said.

Last week, Fox said it was reimagining its upfront presentation plans. Fox will also hold an event on May 16 but instead of holding it in a theater, it will be at the Skylight on Vesey in New York, a venue recently used for a Van Gogh exhibition. Fox also plans to have a “Content Drives Commerce Brand Partnership Summit on March 23 and will present at the NewFronts, with its Tubi streaming service front and center.

In December, the IAB announced that it plans to hold the 2022 NewFronts in person during the week of May 2. All five days of NewFront presentations will be streamed for remote viewers.

Disney Ad Sales also plans an in-person event this year. Disney said its event won’t be held in a large theater, but that it plans to find a space to create a more interactive experience for advertisers and media buyers. ■ 

NBCUniversal said it has formally asked top social media platforms for ways to increase interaction and engagement with the Olympics as the Beijing Winter Games approach.

Requests for proposals have been sent to social media platform asking for big, bold ideas for partnerships around the Olympics and the Paralympic Games.

Formal presentations will be conducted Thursday, with a decision expected to be made in the next few weeks.

NBCU said it has never conducted an RFP process on this scale with social platforms.

The company is studying how young fans interacted with the Tokyo Summer Games using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Apple News.

The RFP process is part of NBCU’s approach to forming partnerships. 

“As consumer expectations and viewing patterns change, businesses are shifting to models built on partnership,” said Linda Yacccarino, chairman, global advertising and partnerships, at NBCU, said in a blog post.

“Audiences crave quality storytelling on every screen — making platform exclusivity impractical and even undesirable,“ Yaccarino said. ”It’s why tech giants are producing award-winning content, as content legends ramp up investments in data and rethink distribution relationships. Both sides know that to excel in one arena, you must invest in the other. So, to best serve audiences and advertisers, we need to also look outside our organizations.” 

NBCU on Thursday announced a partnership with Holler, a company that makes digital stickers that people can use when sending messages in apps like Venmo. 

The company also this year sent our requests for proposals to measurement companies, seeking updated ways to count and analyze audiences. NBCU got about 80 proposals that it is currently evaluating.

On Nov. 16, NBC will be holding It first Measurement Innovation Forum, which it said will bring together every media holding company, trade organizations and top advertisers.

NBCU also has partnerships involved in its commerce plans, most notably with PayPal.

“As we see it, a partnership company goes beyond the transactional to achieve the transformational. It has the courage to explore collaboration, even with the so-called ‘competition,’ ” Yaccarino said. ”And it can’t be an afterthought. To future-proof our companies, build trust, accelerate innovation and multiply impact, partnerships must be proactive. 

“For NBCU that’s creating engaging stories or experiences with partners like Apple News, Holler, Snap, Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube, reimagining CTV with partners like Freewheel, Mediaocean or the Trade Desk, and strengthening our global offerings with more groups. Plus, it’s working with the industry to develop new measurement tools to understand impact and viewership,” she said.

“Ultimately, the shift towards partnership is about more than new capabilities or relationships — it can help our industry thrive today and create more constructive relationships for tomorrow. That’s why partnership needs to be a meaningful part of our entire industry’s transformation playbook,” Yaccarino said.

The one-time special episode of 30 Rock that NBCUniversal put together for its 2020 upfront presentation won a Bronze award at the Cannes Lion Festival.

The 2020 upfront was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, cancelling the traditional live theater presentations NBCU made by and the other major television companies.

Other networks put together virtual presentation based on Zoom, but NBCU decided to put together a special episode of 30 Rock, the popular sitcom set at a dysfunctional TV network owned by a clueless cable company. The episodes actually aired on NBC’s TV stations in primetime.

“The 30 Rock Upfront special was a massive company-wide effort—from the incredible cast, to our amazing leadership team, to Studios to Distribution to Entertainment and so many more,” said Linda Yaccarino, NBCU chairman of global advertising and partnerships, in a post on LinkedIn talking about the award. “I still can’t believe it was all shot on iPhones during a pandemic!”

Yaccarino noted that an integration NBCU’s creative partnership team worked on, Laundry Night for Procter & Gamble’s Tide, also won a Bronze Lion.

“In such a competitive year, these honors are a complete testament to the power of innovation, collaboration, and creative storytelling. Congratulations to all of the teams on these one-of-a-kind collaborations,” she said.

While the big television companies streamed their virtual upfront presentations so that viewers could watch safely at home last week, NBCUniversal had about 50 media buyers and clients attend a live and in-person lunchtime viewing of the event at the Rainbow Room.

While a far cry from the thousands who traditionally pack Radio City Music Hall for NBCUniversal’s presentation to advertisers, the Rainbow Room event comes at a time when, even as most COVID pandemic restrictions are being lifted, that most companies are still deciding whether to hold even one-on-one meetings in person.

The event was presided over by Linda Yaccarino, NBCU’s chairman of global advertising sales and partnerships. None of the stars of NBCU’s shows were present. Press was not invited.

“I thought it was great,” one attendee said. “You’re in the Rainbow Room. You’re around a lot of people in the industry that you know and, to me, it felt great just to get out and about. It felt normal, which is a good feeling after all these months.”

A media buyer said they weren’t aware of any other formal in-person upfront get togethers.

According to an NBCU spokesperson, the event was intended to celebrate the upfront show, in-person, with New York City-based clients comfortable attending such a gathering.

In addition to the clients, about 17 NBC executives attended, bringing the total in the room to 67 people. Normal capacity for the Rainbow Room — the famous venue atop 30 Rock, where NBCU is headquartered — is 425.

NBCU said that with fewer than 100 people invited, proof of vaccination or COVID test was not required.

Guests had their temperatures taken on-site and were asked to verbally acknowledge that they hadn't been exposed to the virus. Contact tracing measures were in place.

Guests were required to wear masks and socially distance when not seated and eating at tables. All food was individually served and there were no shared items, such as a buffet or cocktail bar.

Media companies generally take COVID protocols seriously because of the importance of being able to continue to create programming without being shut down by someone on-set contracting the virus. NBC's Saturday Night Live featured a full studio last weekend for the first time since the pandemic hit.

NBCU's virtual upfront kicked off upfront week on May 17. The presentation was hosted by Today Show co-anchor Hoda Kotb, daytime talk show host Kelly Clarkson and Bravo’s Andy Cohen, with Yaccarino closing the proceedings.

"This is the magic of NBCUniversal. It's the future of media, technology and culture. And we're inviting you to be a part of it," said Yaccarino during the presentation. "Live from New York, we're only just getting started. We'll see you next year."

Trust matters, said Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal’s global chairman for advertising and partnerships, in an opinion piece posted Tuesday on the NBCU Together website.

Yaccarino said trust is crucial in forming the kinds of partnerships needed to help businesses, communities and families grow.

Based on its research about trust, NBCU is forming community councils to help drive impact for local businesses. The first NBCUniversal Community Council is being launched in Philadelphia, home of NBCU’s parent company Comcast.

Yaccarino noted that during the pandemic, companies worked together to rebuild their businesses.

“We now have the permission to completely change how we work together. So, let's ask ourselves: What are the shared values we need to create impactful relationships? For us, it's trust, connection, and impact. Let's start with trust. Do you know any good relationship without it? That lasted? Or had meaningful impact? I don't,” she said.

NBCU did research on trust that was conducted by MorningConsult. The poll found that 86% of NBCU’s business partners feel NBCU builds trust with customers, 18% higher than key tech platforms. Among decision makers polled 87% said NBCU reaches new customers and 88% it facilitates company growth, while 9 in 10 would recommend NBCU advertising (a convenient finding just a week before NBCU’s upfront presentation).

“Every company needs partners who share its values and passion for generating shared value; who understand that when we help businesses grow, the impact lifts up families, communities, and the entire economy. And we shouldn't settle for anything less. Because when we build trust, the benefits multiply for everyone,” Yaccarino said.

The text of Linda Yaccarino’s post follows:

#WhyTrustMatters: With the Right Partners, It Multiplies 

Almost a year ago, as we stared down a shared crisis, we called for the marketing community to stand shoulder to shoulder and embrace its shared responsibility to rebuild. And we're making progress. But now, as the media and advertising industry enters a new Roaring Twenties, we need to see eye-to-eye on what makes a trusted partnership — because the success of our shared recovery hangs in the balance.

We're all living at the intersection of media and technology, which means marketers needs to forge new alliances across content, distribution, marketing, and technology to reflect our ever-changing reality. And we need to do way more than just rethink WHO we partner with—we need to reimagine HOW we partner. 

Because all too often, partnerships are grounded only in value you can measure rather than the values you share. And those types of shallow relationships limit our progress because they are not sustainable or effective. We now have the permission to completely change how we work together. So, let's ask ourselves: What are the shared values we need to create impactful relationships? 

For us, it's trust, connection, and impact. Let's start with trust. Do you know any good relationship without it? That lasted? Or had meaningful impact? I don't.

Today people see business as the most trusted institution in our society—which means every organization has a massive responsibility to steward that trust. For companies like ours, building trust is connecting with people—giving them everything from a good laugh to reliable information and much-needed comfort. Trust is the foundation of our relationship and connection with our viewers—and partners can build on that trust. 

But, no matter how your organization chooses to build trust, its impact isn't limited to your four walls. Trust has incredible value for your partners and communities.

Recently, we surveyed our partners to understand the impact of these relationships and learned #WhyTrustMatters. Eighty six percent of our partners believe NBCUniversal helps them build trust and relevance, which helps them better connect with their customers. In other words, trust matters—and with the right partners, the impacts can multiply.

But trust isn't a given. It's the hardest thing to build, and the easiest thing to lose. And your partners shouldn’t jeopardize your reputation—they should help build it up. Going forward, all businesses need to choose partnerships very carefully and reframe existing ones around transparency and accountability, consistent feedback and shared ideas.

For our part, we're locking arms with new partners to build the future of advertising to better reflect our values and dynamic consumers. And while we invest across our industry, we're also working to build trust in communities across America. That’s why based on what we've learned from our research, we're forming the first NBCUniversal Community Council in Philadelphia to connect with local business leaders and find every possible way to drive more impact.

Ultimately, whether you're a media company, a technology company, or—like consumers—occupy the space in between, the absolute best measure of any partnership is shared success. We're proud that eighty five percent of businesses surveyed said NBCUniversal made their companies stronger and contributed to overall company growth; and that others believe partnering with us helped grow their business and create new jobs. That's what trusted partnership looks like. That's the type of impact we're after. 

Every company needs partners who share its values and passion for generating shared value; who understand that when we help businesses grow, the impact lifts up families, communities, and the entire economy. And we shouldn't settle for anything less. Because when we build trust, the benefits multiply for everyone.

Tell your partners #WhyTrustMatters to your company.

Linda Yaccarino, chairman, global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, has been named chair of the Ad Council’s board of directors.

The Ad Council oversees public service campaigns and most recently has been a leader in the media, marketing, advertising and entertainment industry’s efforts responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Ad Council shows us what's possible when we combine the power of responsibility, creativity, credibility, and care for people. It's an honor to join them in this new capacity," Yaccarino said.

Yaccarino succeeds David Fischer, chief revenue officer of Facebook. Her term lasts until June 30, 2022.

Also Read: Yaccarino Adds Local Ad Sales Duties at NBCU

“Linda is a visionary leader in our industry and in her many years on our Board she has been a true champion of the Ad Council and our work on the most important social issues facing our country,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council.

“Under Linda’s leadership, NBCUniversal was an invaluable partner on our COVID-19 response efforts earlier this year—acting with incredible speed to develop and place exceptional creative within days of the pandemic being declared in March. I look forward to working closely together on our Vaccine Education effort, as we convene the communications industry for the most significant campaign in the Ad Council’s history,” Sherman said.

Yaccarino joined the Ad Council Board of Directors in 2014 and became a member of the Executive Committee in 2015. Prior to her appointment as Board Chair, Yaccarino served as Vice Chair.

NBCUniversal continued to consolidate its management by naming Linda Yaccarino chair, global advertising and partnerships.

Yaccarino, who had headed national and global advertising sales for all of NBCU’s platforms, will now oversee local ad sales, including the company’s TV stations and regional sports networks.

Franck Comerford, chief revenue officer, president of commercial operations, NBC Owned Stations, and his team will become part of Yaccarino’s group

NBCU said that Yaccarino also will be overseeing a new effort to create a new data strategy unit that will aim to create a unified privacy-safe way of identifying viewers as it pursues new commerce opportunities. A chief data officer is expected to be named soon.

The company’s strategic initiatives group, headed by senior VP Kathy Kelly-Brown, has been placed under Yaccarino’s purview, uniting Comcast Cable and NBCU’s Symphony marketing efforts.

"Linda has done a fantastic job moving the advertising business forward, not just for NBCUniversal, but the industry at large," said Jeff Shell, who has been consolidating the company television operations since becoming CEO of NBCU earlier this year. “I'm excited for her to continue architecting the future of the ad-supported ecosystem and uniting all assets of this company to make us the best possible partner for our customers around the world." 

Yaccarino sent a memo to staff Monday explaining the changes:

Team,

I'm thrilled that our family is getting bigger.

First, we're welcoming Frank Comerford and his team of local sales experts to make our broader Global Advertising & Partnerships division truly a one-of-a-kind in this industry. This also means we will have the great opportunity to partner even more closely with Valari Staab, the stations, and the Regional Sports Networks under this new structure. On top of that, Kathy Kelly-Brown's strategic initiatives team will join our team and expand on their incredible work with Symphony, plus we'll be partnering even more closely with John Miller. Finally, we're going to build an entirely new Data Strategy unit that will unite all of NBCUniversal behind a shared information vision.

Please join me in welcoming them all!

These updates come at a time of massive transformation in the global advertising industry. Consumer behavior and corporate convergence are bringing media and technology closer together. And now, so are we.

By organizing our business to reflect the realities of the marketplace and the future that audiences have created, we're able to bolster our One Platform solution and, subsequently, our entire business. Now, from local to global, across cable and broadcast, digital and streaming, NBCUniversal—and only NBCUniversal—can offer audiences and partners an unbeatable combination of deep regional expertise and massive scale, data-driven math and a little bit of magic. 

While there is no doubt we are a content and technology company at our core, we need to keep accelerating our business plans to define entertainment and build the future of advertising. With the addition of these strong teams and new initiatives, we're expanding our offerings for clients while diversifying our business and creating new company-wide opportunities. We're making the right investments to bring that future into focus.

During Wednesday's Office Hours, I'll go into more details and introduce our new team members. But for now, it's important to reiterate: when we transform our team, we transform the company—and the entire industry. 

Thank you,

Linda

Linda Yaccarino, the chairman for advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, is calling for “radical transformation” of the marketing business in the face of cultural change around racism and the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

“This is the moment to question not just when we do business, but how we do business, at every level—because transformation is more than the private sector's response to this moment, it's our long-term responsibility,” she said in a note sent to NBCU’s partners Monday morning.

The note comes a week after the Association of National Advertisers made proposals to transform the advertising business, including the timing of the upfront.

Related: NBCU Launching Global Advertising Division

Yaccarino has been among the voices calling for change in the way the marketing and media industries do business. But in her note she added that while the media and marketing industry has business issues to resolve, it also has a unique platform to inform public opinion.

”We need to do more as a marketing community to address deep-seated legacy problems, especially within our industry,” she said. “Now is the time for marketers to prioritize equity and inclusion, while also committing to a new open marketplace built on trust, radical transparency, and meaningful collaboration.”

Related: NBCU Courting Advertisers with Less Clutter, Free Services

NBCU said it is opening up some of its training industry wide, creating more summit to discuss issues including creativity, it employs an open-sourced technology platform and will be hosting a Partnership and Development summit later in the year.

“This is what responsible leadership will look like: if you know something is right, you do it. If you know something is wrong, don't. If there's infrastructure everyone needs, build and scale it. That's what it will take for this industry to truly transform,” Yaccarino said. “Let's give each other the permission to be courageous, open up, and share the responsibility."

Yaccarino’s Note Follows:

Transformation is a Shared Responsibility

By Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal

We're living through a moment of massive cultural and structural change. We've seen an enormous awakening to long-standing issues of racism and inequality. Meanwhile, COVID-19 still has the economy reeling: double-digit drops in sales as stores consider reopening; millions of jobs lost, with only a few signs of gains; GDP projected to shrink substantially this quarter.

While some companies are stepping up, there’s still more to do. This moment demands radical transformation, and as companies are changing messaging or shifting trading calendars, we can go even further. This is the moment to question not just when we do business, but how we do business, at every level—because transformation is more than the private sector's response to this moment, it's our long-term responsibility.  

Last year, 181 CEOs committed to a new model of corporate responsibility and affirmed their obligation to all stakeholders. And over the past few months, seismic shifts have rippled across the corporate playing field and pushed us even further. Competitors now stand shoulder-to-shoulder, staring down the same systemic issues, ready to take action and change for the better. 

Our fates are intertwined. We all now have a shared responsibility to transform our companies, our industry, and our economy—because when everything is at stake, we are all stakeholders. And there’s no industry better suited to lead this than the marketing community.

Marketing has always been a platform to inform public opinion, change hearts and minds, amplify cultural moments and movements, and spur economic growth. No other industry cuts across every sector or reaches millions around the world every single day. Great advertising educates audiences, elevates stories and ideas, mobilizes people to act, and lifts bottom lines—which in turn engages and advances conversation, creates jobs, and keeps families afloat. 

But it's not just about marketing; we need to do more as a marketing community to address our most deep-seated legacy problems, especially within our industry. 

Now is the time for marketers to prioritize equity and inclusion, while also committing to a new open marketplace built on trust, radical transparency, and meaningful collaboration. Just imagine how opening up training, technology, and insights across the marketing industry could simultaneously accelerate lasting transformation and real economic recovery.

No doubt, it's an ambitious call-to-action. But the stakes are too high to let legacy thinking, competitive agendas, closed marketplaces, or closed mindsets stand in our way. We need courage, conviction, and imagination, and we can start by asking ourselves some questions:

This is what responsible leadership will look like: if you know something is right, you do it. If you know something is wrong, don't. If there's infrastructure everyone needs, build and scale it. That's what it will take for this industry to truly transform. 

Inevitably, this open marketplace will require new alliances, partnerships, business models, and maybe even some strange bedfellows. And none of that should scare us; it should liberate us to do whatever this moment requires. 

We know these investments in each other, our marketplace, and the economy will pay off. That's why NBCUniversal is creating more marketing training and development resources while mapping out a new open-source technology structure—one that will streamline all advertising processes, bring measurement into the 21st century, and completely transform the way marketers transact with us. But we're only one company; we need others to join us. 

Together, we can make sure transformation and responsibility are not just buzzwords, but a shared playbook. Real transformation is possible, and recovery is on the horizon—so let's give each other the permission to be courageous, open up, and share the responsibility.

NBCUniversal has appointed three of its top executives to the Hulu board, following the lifting of 2011 Justice Department restrictions at the end of August.

Joining the board of the jointly owned streaming platform include Universal Filmed Entertainment chairman Jeff Shell, advertising and client partnerships chair Linda Yaccarino and content distribution chairman Matt Bond. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

NBCUniversal owns 30% of Hulu, along with Disney-ABC (30%), 21st Century Fox (30%) and WarnerMedia (10%). Disney’s proposed $71 billion takeover of Fox’s entertainment assets would make it the controlling owner.

Related: Hulu's Losses More Than Doubled in Q2 to $357M

As a condition tied to Comcast’s 2011 purchase of NBCU, Comcast was required to take a silent ownership position.

But it now re-assumes a voice on the board of directors, that also includes Disney direct-to-consumer and international chairman Kevin Mayer and Fox Networks Group chairman Peter Rice.

And Hulu is at an interesting point of inflection, having reached 20 million subscribers, launched a global original-series hit in The Handmaid’s Tale, and garnered critical acclaim with 27 Emmy nominations over the summer.

Hulu is spending aggressively as it expands its original slate, upgrades its technology and competes in the competitive live-streaming market. And Comcast would certainly like a say in where the money is going.

Comcast revealed in a June regulatory filing that it lost $107 million in Hulu in the second quarter. 

Rita Ferro

Title: President, Ad Sales, Disney/ABC Television Group
Broadcast Network: ABC
2017 Upfront Sales: $2.1 billion.
Outlook: America’s Network is using a “Forward Together” theme to reinforce that Ferro’s team has a portfolio that includes ABC, Freeform and the Disney Media kids business. But with the “Disney Difference,” it can include other Disney units, from films to theme parks, in campaigns. Disney also just announced the launch of Luminate, a suite of advanced advertising products that will be used by both the Disney/ABC networks and by ESPN.

Joe Marchese

Title: President, Advertising Revenue, Fox Networks Group
Broadcast Network: Fox
2017 Upfront Sales: $1.6 billion
Outlook: Marchese is looking to innovate the heck out of the TV ad business. He said his goal was to get Fox’s ad load down to two minutes per hour by 2020. The first place he’s targeting is Sunday night, when each commercial pod will have just two 30-second spots. How much will advertisers pay for that uncluttered environment? We’ll see. Marchese is also pushing six-second ads, which seem to fit particularly well in live sports.

Tonia O’Connor

Title: Chief Revenue Officer, Univision Communications
Broadcast Networks: Univision, UniMás
2017 Upfront Sales: Not available
Outlook: With Telemundo hot on its heels, Univision is rolling out a number of new initiatives in time for this year’s upfront. Univision this month unveiled Aperture, a suit of data-driven advertising products that include precision targeting, a selfserve campaign builder and Campaign Impact, which help evaluate a media buy’s effectiveness. Aperture also features Fokal, an analytic firm that helps drive results across data sets. To reach younger viewers, Univision has made deals to produce projects with Snapchat, Facebook Watch and PopSugar.

The 2018 Upfront: Sales Execs Claim Strong Hand Going Into Upfront | Buyers Want Better Measurement, But Will Use Old Metrics in Upfront | Levy Wants 5% of TV Ad Budgets Spent on Audiences | The CW Brings a New Night to the Market | Pitching Hispanic Buying Power | Broadcast Networks Take Center Stage

Jo Ann Ross

Title: President and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer, CBS
Broadcast Network: CBS
2017 Upfront Sales: $2.5 billion
Outlook: Never better, according to CBS’s ebullient chairman and CEO Les Moonves. No longer stodgy, CBS has been a pioneer in the over-the-top and subscription businesses and Ross said advertisers are interested in CBS All Access, CBSN and CBS Sports HQ. Last year, Ross added digital sales to her portfolio, with former Facebook exec David Lawenda, now executive VP of digital sales and strategy, reporting to her. CBS has also set up CBS Eye Max, a unit devoted to ad innovation and creating branded entertainment with clients.

Rob Tuck

Title: Executive VP, National Sales, The CW
Broadcast Network: The CW
2017 Upfront Sales: } $500 million
Outlook: The CW is an early adopter in monetizing digital viewership, a key for a network that attracts young (for broadcast) viewers. Its convergence sell has been copied by other broadcasters to capture eyeballs glued to mobile phones, iPads and other connected devices. This year adds a new night of primetime programming (see related story), creating the opportunity to generate more advertising revenue.

Linda Yaccarino

Title: Chairman, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal
Broadcast Networks: NBC, Telemundo
2017 Upfront Sales: $6.5 billion*
Outlook: NBCUniversal will kick off Upfront Week on May 14 with a presentation that covers its entire portfolio of broadcast, cable and digital opportunities for advertisers. Yaccarino has been pushing an advanced advertising agenda and this year helped give the audience buying business a boost by joining Fox, Turner and Viacom in the OpenAP consortium. NBCU also launched CFlight, a new metric that measures on air and online impressions. * NBCU upfront revenue across broadcast and cable.

More than 100 of the top executives in the TV advertising, media buying and marketing industries gathered in New York Tuesday morning (Nov. 28) to tackle issues around audience measurement and advertising effectiveness.

The meeting was arranged by Linda Yacccarino, chair of advertising sales and client partnerships at NBCUniversal.

The TV business has been facing issues involving viewers shifting to non-commercial programming on streaming and on-demand services like Netflix. It has also been struggling to measure viewership as more people watch on their own time and different digital devices. And they are challenge by digital competitors that promise data that does a better job of showing who they reach and how much reaction and sales they generate.

“We have a problem,” said Yaccarino, addressing the group. “We hear it every day. We hear it over drinks with our agency friends and clients. And we hear it from consumers. We hear it from their behavior. Things have got to change.”

She added that things have to change now. “Everyone in this room can decide together what that change looks like,” she said. “We all know the stakes have never been higher.”

Yaccarino said it was important that the industry works together to “build the metrics that our industry needs so we have a fair, equal and transparent market that holds all platforms to the same collective standard.”

She challenge to people in the group to contribute suggestions about what their companies could do to fix the industry’s problems.

She told the audience what NBCU would do.

“We’re committed to making television smarter. “That means improving the consumer experience making marketing more effective. We are weaning ourselves off a single currency metric and moving more to real business objectives,” she said.

“We might even lower commercial loads across the board,” Yaccarino added.

Anyone who has spent any time in the TV business has heard the mantra before: This year is advanced advertising’s year. But unlike the past two decades, in which many a promising ad-tech initiative has stumbled, cable and broadcast executives may finally have the incentive to make targeted ads reality.

For advanced advertising — using the torrent of data from set-top boxes, digital and mobile devices to target messages to specific households and individuals — the erosion of the traditional TV model could be the force that frees the technology. As viewing habits have shifted away from linear TV, distributors, networks and advertisers themselves all have a vested interest in reaching that elusive market.

“When models reach the breaking point, that’s when breakouts happen,” Tom Rogers, chairman of TRget Media LLC and the former TiVo CEO, said in an interview. “It’s been clear for some time that the traditional linear TV model has had its challenges. We’re really beginning to see some things happen that are very, very significant accelerations.”

And networks, distributors and ad buyers alike are buying in, with distributors like Comcast and Altice USA snapping up small ad-tech companies, networks forming consortiums like OpenAP to identify opportunities and set standards, and even, in the case of NBCUniversal, devoting a growing piece of their ad budgets to targeting.

Related: The Future of Television Is Now

In March, NBCU said it would offer about $1 billion in inventory to targeted ads this year. And at the recent upfronts, NBCU chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships Linda Yaccarino slammed the questionable reach of some digital ads.

“Has a ‘view’ ever bought any of your products?” Yaccarino asked at NBCU’s May 15 upfront event. “Has a ‘like’ ever walked into a store? … Viewers buy products.”

Related: Data Drives Some Talk at Upfront Presentations [subscription required]

First-Quarter Slippage
Exacerbating the need for more focused ads is the mounting evidence that cord-cutting, cord-shaving and skinny programming bundles are gaining steam. In the first quarter, the pay TV distribution market fell by 762,000 subscribers, the single largest first-quarter decline ever, according to MoffettNathanson. And once indestructible brands, like The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, have seen their subscriber bases shrink as viewers move to other venues and devices to fill their content needs.

ESPN has lost between 12 million and 13 million subscribers from its peak and plans to launch a direct-to-consumer service targeted at younger viewers later this year. At the same time, ratings stalwart the National Football League saw its ratings fall 9% last year (double that for the coveted 18-24 year old demographic), while other sports are getting older. Meanwhile, younger viewers are staying away from the living room TV set.

According to TechCrunch, viewers are watching 1 billion hours of YouTube video clips per day.

Related: OTT Players Poised to Win TV’s Future [subscription required]

Traditional distributors and programmers are taking notice. Comcast has purchased several ad-tech companies over the past few years, including FreeWheel, StickyAds.tv and Visible World. Altice USA bought advanced ad company Audience Partners in March, and in April programmers Viacom, Turner and 21st Century Fox formed consortium OpenAP to standardize the way targeted audiences are defined and measured.

The TV industry still has some time before the ad model completely disintegrates, Pivotal Research Group senior analyst Brian Weiser said.

“To me, it’s evolutionary, not revolutionary,” Wieser said. “Ratings can fall by double digits, yet traditional TV is a source of premium video content with adjacent advertising opportunities. It continues to dwarf everything else.”

Industry group the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) pegged digital video ad revenue at about $9.1 billion in 2016, compared with $69 billion for TV ads.

Wieser said a dramatic shift in viewers could sway the market, but it would have to be very dramatic.

“For TV to find itself in a position where advertisers would all of a sudden make radical changes, you would have to find a good core of the audience evaporate,” Wieser said. “And by evaporate I mean reach goes away.”

The emergence of groups like OpenAP are more a means to show the industry that programmers are not out of step with the times, Weiser said, adding that perception is a bigger force of change in the ad market than reality.

“Decisions end up getting made based on the perception of how things are going, and fear,” Wieser said. He pointed to the TV ad market in 2015, which to some was the indicator that the traditional TV ad model had broken, but was, Wieser said, merely a bad year made to look worse by unfavorable comparables to the prior year. In 2016, when heavy ad spending by such daily fantasy sports sites as FanDuel and DraftKings spurred the TV market, the problem appeared to be solved. Now in 2017, the ad market is in decline again.

“What’s happening now is what people feared would happen a couple of years ago,” Wieser said. “Cost constraints are more pronounced than they have ever been. Now we’re at a place where I’m feeling doubtful that national TV will grow again. But it’s not because of digital, per se.”

At TVSquared, an ad-tech company that tracks brand traffic and helps advertisers choose how to target their messages, chief technology officer Kevin O’Reilly agreed fears the TV ad model is dead are overblown.

O’Reilly said the TV apocalypse has been coming for the past 15 years, and this wave is being fueled by the emergence of the second screen.

“If the apocalypse is coming, it’s coming slowly,” he said. But he added that ad buyers and sellers are realizing that both traditional and advanced models can coexist.

“Advertisers are saying, look, I know linear TV works, it really does drive efficient traffic. And one of the big benefits of efficiency is if I can find a way to be slightly more efficient in an efficient marketplace, I’m going to make money,” O’Reilly said. “There is major value in still reaching a very large audience, I just want to make sure I’m reaching the right part of that audience. And when I’m not reaching the right part of the audience, I can change my buy and optimize it into parts where I’m seeing it perform better.”

Getting to that point will probably take a round of consolidation in the business, Rogers said, creating one-stop shops for participants to access the expertise they need.

“The problem is, there are so many silos, so many companies, that it is a bit of a mess,” Rogers said, adding that there is an increasing need to put ad-tech solutions under a single roof. “Until that is solved, it’s going to be difficult for a massive breakthrough.”

The convergence of ad tech and distribution has been a long time coming with the inherent convergence of data-driven advertising and those who compile the data, said Waller Capital Partners managing director Roddy Moon, who leads the boutique investment bank’s digital media practice and who has covered the ad-tech sector since its early days.

Related: Waller Capital's Video Services Consolidation Chart

Helping to spur along that convergence is the dominance of digital behemoths Google and Facebook in the digital ad space. Morgan Stanley estimates that about 85 cents of every new online ad dollar goes to those two companies.

“There are still a tremendous number of companies chasing that remaining 15 cents,” Moon said. “But that’s just digital ad spend; the 800-pound gorilla is still TV ad budgets.”

To address that market, Moon said, the industry is beginning to realize it needs a common, integrated data-driven platform. With scores of small, medium and large ad-tech companies out there, many are realizing that creating a one-stop shop for distributors, content owners and advertisers can help the development along.

“It used to be that it was an ‘either-or’ mentality,” Moon said of the ad-tech business. “You were either digital or traditional television. Now there is more of a mindset from the marketing side that it should be holistic.”

Cable Jumps In, Too
At the same time, cable and telco distributors are trying to dispel the notion that others are taking over this emerging business. Comcast started buying ad-tech firms in 2005, with Strata Marketing, followed by Seattle-based thePlatform in 2006. In the past three years, Comcast has purchased video ad startup FreeWheel (2014), This Technology (2015), Visible World (2015) and StickyAds (2016), all with a view toward offering more targeted ad product.

Earlier this month, Comcast named Marcien Jenckes, a former ad-tech entrepreneur, as president of advertising. Jenckes has held several roles at Comcast since joining the company in 2010 — he was most recently executive vice president of consumer services at Comcast Cable, where he oversaw its video, internet, voice and Xfinity Home businesses.

The newest entry to the U.S. cable space — Altice USA, a unit of European telecom company Altice N.V. — has also dipped its toes in the ad-tech space. Altice USA purchased Suddenlink Communications in December 2015 for $9.1 billion and in June 2016 bought Cablevision Systems for $17.7 billion, making it the fourth largest cable operator in the country with 4.6 million residential and business services subscribers.

Cablevision had been a pioneer in taking a digital-like approach to advertising, Altice USA chief data officer Paul Haddad said. Haddad had served as senior vice president and general manager of advanced data and analytics at Cablevision, playing a key role in its advanced advertising strategy.

That expertise and experience now in demand in the business, Haddad said, and advertisers and networks, who may have given advanced ads short shrift in the past, are getting a lot more serious.

“We’re being asked to discuss our strategy with major players,” Haddad said. “In previous years, people were assessing the value proposition, versus today I can sense they want to test, they want to discuss business plans. To us, this is the real sign that, yes, we think it’s going to start gaining major traction starting this year. In 18 to 24 months I could see it becoming a standard request when it comes to advertising in the industry.”

Already, some early aggregators are beginning to emerge. In 2016, former Cablevision CEO James Dolan and his wife, former cable company chief operating officer Kristin, formed Dolan Family Ventures, an investment company focused on the ad-tech space. Dolan Family Ventures formed data analytics company 605 shortly after its purchase of Analytics Media Group, a New York-based data analytics specialist. The idea behind 605 is to combine AMG’s analytics and technology platform with set-top box data to provide clients with the kind of information that can help them develop targeted, optimized ad campaigns.

Kristin Dolan serves as CEO of 605, overseeing a management team that includes several former AMG and Cablevision ad executives, including former Cablevision Media Sales president Ben Tatta.

As ad buyers, distributors and networks become increasingly frustrated over how ads are sold, targeting will gain traction, Kristin Dolan said in an interview.

“In order to continue selling television advertising, the advertisers and the brands are expecting that they will get the same capability to target people that they have been experiencing on digital for years,” she said. “The time has come.”

And with NBCUniversal committing $1 billion to targeted inventory and consortiums like OpenAP emerging, she added that she sees the light at the end of the targeting tunnel.

“Television advertising is a great medium; [it’s] the best way to reach large audiences,” Dolan said. “Coupled with targeted calls to action, it really allows the brand to be more effective. Hopefully in the next 12 to 18 months, you will see significant increase in utilization to drive the industry forward. Buyers are demanding it, and the sellers like NBC are responding, as are the MVPDs. Everybody seems finally ready to move on this.”

That buyers are finally stepping up to the advanced ad plate is a significant development. In the past, as cable companies and data firms touted their ability to pinpoint homes via set-top box data, buyers have dismissed the technology as not being specific enough. An age-old argument against targeted ads was that just knowing a household buys dog food isn’t enough; advertisers wanted to know who was buying it and what they were watching.

Getting Real
But advances in data have made what was once the Holy Grail of targeted advertising a reality.

“Now you can do that,” One2One Media president Michael Bologna, a 20-year veteran of the advanced advertising business, said. “Media marketers are getting pressure from CMOs, and they are now pushing their buyers and their agencies and they are now changing the conversation.

“Will there be a time when an advertiser will say, ‘I completely don’t care what the program is as long as I know it’s the audience?’ We’re definitely headed down that road in certain ways, but content will always play a factor,” Bologna added. “But now that the advertisers are seeing first hand that they can target these granular segments, and they see that targeting these granular segments is generating sales, they are becoming less focused on ‘I have to be on this particular show at this particular time.’ That’s a really interesting and fulfilling trend.”

Bologna said advanced ad addressability won’t take over the TV ad market — he estimated that when fully deployed, 25% to 35% of an advertiser’s ad budget will go to addressable — but it will balance it.

“No major advertiser is ever going to put 100% of their budget toward addressability,” Bologna said. “If you wait until someone is 40 years old to show them a Mercedes ad when they can afford to buy a Mercedes, you’ve missed them. What addressability will ultimately do, in the long run, is help balance the frequency of messaging to the mass audience versus the very niche audience. And between now and then, every advertiser is going to have their own allocation methodology.”

NBCUniversal has asked Nielsen to delay its planned launch of its Total Content Ratings product, calling it incomplete and inconsistent in its current form.

In a letter to Nielsen sent earlier this week, Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships at NBCU, said the entire industry wants a system that counts all viewing with accuracy and transparency.

“TCR is far from meeting these requirements, and its premature syndicated release is irresponsible," Yaccarino said. "We are eager to collaborate with Nielsen and other industry participants to improve TCR and determine a reasonable, appropriate launch timeline. Some say, ‘something is better than nothing.’ We disagree. Bad, inaccurate and misleading data is far worse than no data at all."

TV networks have seen their ratings decline in recent years, partly because more viewers are watching content on digital devices and that viewing is not included in the ratings currently used to buy and sell advertising.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Taking a page from the specificity of digital media, NBCU Universal says it will provide its client base with commercial inventory that better reaches their specific consumer groups via its new Audience Targeting Platform.

ATP will integrate set-top viewing data from several third-party sources with first- and third-party consumer data to identify top-performing, client-specific inventory in select categories across its portfolio of cable channels and NBC broadcast network, which feature the James Spader-starrer, The Black List (pictured).

. 

By melding TV viewing data with other consumer information, NBCU believes it can more effectively allocate high value television inventory to optimize client media plans by combining the benefits of  targeting with the medium's audience scale.  This will enable marketers to go beyond conventional age and gender demographics in selecting audiences and move toward metrics tied closely to brand-specific KPIs.

“Marketers no longer have to choose between digital media’s data-driven targeting and television’s scale and unparalleled ability to communicate via great storytelling,” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal.  “Now, we are unique in our ability to deliver on our promise of targeting nationally and insights-driven program selections across the entire NBCUniversal portfolio. Video content is more powerful in the presence of data.”

The ATP gambit follows the company’s launch last year of NBCU+ Powered by Comcast, which represented the first offering by the MSO and its programming arm to jointly deliver measurement and targeting solutions.