NBCUniversal Continues to Build Partnerships That Matter
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October 26, 2022 | Authored By
From “TODAY” and “Saturday Night Live” to “Sunday Night Football” to “Minions”, NBCUniversal has been fueling fandom for nearly 100 years. And this fall, our company continues to deliver iconic content that entertains, informs, and shapes the world around us. As a matter of fact, according to Comscore, nearly 90% of the social conversation on any given day focuses on these iconic types of fan fueled IP.
But we know that content alone can’t create culture. That’s why, through One Platform, NBCUniversal is leveraging cutting-edge technology to unlock new fandoms and expand existing ones for our clients, including state-of-the-art commercial innovations like commerce-enabled advertising—as well investing in unmissable in-person interactive experiences.
The result? Unprecedented reach and engagement for our audiences and our advertisers—and the ultimate display of #OurPartnershipCommitment in action.
We’re thrilled to highlight just a few of the ways we’ve been bringing together NBCU’s industry-leading trifecta of content, technology, and partnership over the past few months—all to keep building the next era of premium video viewing.
Debuting and Returning Fan Favorites
It all starts with our fall programming and the long-awaited return of fan-favorite shows like “Capital One College Bowl.” Kicking-off its second season earlier this September, the quiz show will award $1 million in scholarships courtesy of Capital One, while offering both feel-good moments and think-hard questions.
From old favorites to new classics, NBCU has bingeworthy content for every viewer. And this fandom is supercharged by the power of Peacock, which now offers exclusive next-day streaming for NBC and Bravo content. With this homecoming, fans can watch what they missed and re-watch what they loved, while our partners can further leverage our beloved IP— and massive reach of over 230 million monthly viewers across our expansive network of consumer touchpoints across One Platform —to achieve real results.
Building Fandoms in Real Time
While this new programming is exciting, the most thrilling fan experience arguably remains live sports. Nothing brings people together like cheering for their favorite team in real time. Fortunately, NBCU is the premier destination for the most anticipated live sporting events this fall and beyond.
“Sunday Night Football” – primetime television’s No. 1 show for 11 consecutive years — and “Football Night in America” – the most-watched studio show in sports — have returned to NBC and Peacock this fall with the biggest games and best production. Meanwhile, on the college side, we’re expanding our coverage. In addition to our 31-year relationship with Notre Dame Football, this season NBC Sports will present three HBCU football games on NBC and Peacock, including an HBCU all-star game. At the same time, Allstate is deepening its partnership with NBC Sports and Notre Dame, one of college football’s most legendary teams.
And 2023 promises to be just as momentous as we’ve signed a landmark agreement with the Big Ten Conference to become the exclusive home of “Big Ten Saturday Night” football games on NBC and Peacock starting next year, as well as numerous Peacock exclusive football and basketball games and more.
In the meantime, viewers who prefer the other kind of football should get ready for Spanish-language coverage of the 2022 World Cup on Telemundo and Peacock next month. With all eyes on the pitch, brands will have yet another opportunity to reach millions of fans at their most engaged—while they’re watching the sporting event that brings the world together.
With Peacock, we are bringing unmatched content to every sports fan including WWE. Fans can keep up with the entire WWE universe with the ability to stream every WWE Live Event and watch Original Series, In-Ring Shows, Classic Favorites from the WWE Vault, and more in addition to everything else the platform has to offer.
Combining Iconic Content with Innovative Technology
But more than just lifting brands up, we also want to help them level up with groundbreaking technology. That’s why NBCU is investing in innovative ad experiences aimed at fueling fandom with everyone from gamers to entrepreneurs.
Buzz continues to grow around the metaverse, which promises to be the next frontier for gaming, social media, and—yes—advertising. To get in on the ground floor of this emerging market, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” partnered with Samsung to launch an interactive virtual gaming experience within Fortnite, “Tonight at the Rock Powered by Samsung Galaxy.” Live to play now, the game utilizes Samsung’s cutting-edge tech to give fans a variety of “Tonight Show”-inspired games.
In addition to original branded experiences like this one, we also helped produce new branded content in collaboration with clients. For example, as part of a larger NBCU partnership with Salesforce, we developed a seven-episode branded series titled, “The Shift.” Viewers tuning in to the series on CNBC and Salesforce+ will learn the stories of companies that overcame daunting obstacles to achieve worldwide success—and will also learn more about how Salesforce helps its customers power digital transformation.
Transcending the Screen
Even as NBCU finds novel ways to bring audiences together across every device, we’re also building fandoms off-screen and IRL. From immersive events to interactive opportunities with top talent, these unforgettable moments only deepen our relationship with fans, and our fans’ relationship with brands.
This season’s slate of unique experiences is already underway. Sponsored by Citi, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” has taken Kellyoke on the road, holding auditions nationwide to find duet partners to harmonize with Kelly herself. Plus, this season will feature an exclusive brand-new lounge fashioned with Wayfair décor, inspiring viewers to tap into their own home style. For the best of Latin music, Telemundo presented the live “Billboard Latin Music Awards” last month, where a robust slate of global brands connected in real time with multicultural audiences worldwide. And fans who prefer TV to music will love Kia’s new creative campaign that debuted during the 74th “EMMY Awards” on NBC and Peacock.
Plus, we’re creating upcoming special moments for our fans on the high seas. Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” will be taking the ocean by storm in a brand-new partnership with Celebrity Cruises. In a first-of-its-kind taping for the show, Andy Cohen and all five captains from Bravo’s successful “Below Deck,” franchise including – Captain Lee Rosbach, Captain Sandy Yawn, Captain Glenn Shepard, Captain Jason Chambers, and Captain Kerry Titheradge – will board for an evening full of cocktails, games, and celebrating. The episode will air on Tuesday, November 1, immediately following the series premiere of “Below Deck Adventure,” on Bravo and will be available to stream, next day on Peacock. And a few weeks later, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will be expanding their partnership with Norwegian Cruise Lines with a unique integrated segment giving back to an exceptionally deserving teacher aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s record-breaking new ship, Norwegian Prima.
Then, of course, there was the biggest experiential event of the season: BravoCon. Finally, back in-person after a two-year hiatus, fans experienced three full days of non-stop Bravo—including 60+ live events with more than 140 Bravolebrities. From tea-spilling panels, to never-before-seen content, to exclusive shopping opportunities, the weekend redefined what it meant to be a Bravoholic—all thanks to NBCU’s transformative partnerships with 19 world leading brand partners including our three Presenting Sponsors – Bud Light Seltzer, Lay’s® and State Farm®.
Fueling Future Fandoms
Like all our fandom initiatives, BravoCon exemplifies the possibility, innovation, and impact of #OurPartnershipCommitment. And it’s just another way we’re reflecting the one big video world in which our audiences are already living.
And we could not fuel the biggest fandoms and brandoms without our internal fans! Every single individual in our division and across the company has helped build our successful partnership strategy through their hard work and passion for NBCU’s content as well as our advertisers’ brands.
Ultimately, fueling fandom is a year-round mission at NBCU. Accordingly, we have created countless opportunities for our marketing partners to reach our fans wherever they are and however they engage—this fall and beyond. This combination of passion and engagement at scale is a recipe that is proven to work and in today’s media environment, it is the best investment a marketer can count on to drive results.
