Comcast’s NBCUniversal said its clients will be able to buy ads in video games and esports through an agreement with Anzu.lo and that the NBCU had made a small investment in the ad-tech startup.
Anzu.lo offers an advanced platform that lets marketers run non-intrusive ads in mobile, PC and console games. The ads can be interactive, data-driven and programmatic and accessible through NBCU’s ad sales system.
The global arrangement makes NBCU Anzo.lo’s exclusive third-party seller in the U.S. and U.K.
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“NBCUniversal continues to reach consumers at scale on any platform and on every screen. In addition to streaming, gaming is one of the fastest growing ways to reach young audiences,” said Krishan Bhatia, president & chief business officer at NBCUniversal. “This partnership with Anzu will allow our marketers to engage with an audience of over 3 billion gamers worldwide, and we’re only getting started.”
Anzu offers advertisers data on lift measurement, audience verification, data enrichment and fraud detection through companies including Moat, Comscore, Human, Lumen and Kochava.
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As part of the deal, Anzu will have access to NBCU’s ad sales platform, including its client and agency relationships, and marketing teams. Anzu’s cross-platform ad monetization solution also will help game developers generate significant revenue while respecting their players and adding to the overall gaming experience.
“We’re excited to bring our best-in-class tech and exclusive inventory to one of the world’s leading ad sales teams,” said Itamar Benedy, co-founder & CEO of Anzu.
“This new partnership means more brands and agencies will be able to take advantage of our solution to reach an engaged and untapped audience within the world’s most popular titles while preserving the gamer experience. We also believe, over the next few years, most Fortune 500 brands will incorporate gaming into their ad strategies and the partnership with NBCUniversal brings us a step closer to this becoming a reality,” Benedy said. ■
