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Impressions to be used as measurement standard for all ad campaigns running on NBCUniversal’s local TV stations and NBC Sports regional networks
NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 23, 2021 — NBCUniversal today announced that its 42 NBC/Telemundo stations and seven regional sports networks are officially moving to 100 percent impressions-based buying for all local advertising campaigns as of April 1, 2021. After the stations announced their move to impressions in September 2019, clients and agencies who were not trading on impressions were granted additional time to transition while they evaluated the impact the change would have on their business and clients. With the close of the transition period at the end of Q1, all of NBCUniversal’s owned TV stations and regional sports networks will be measured using CPMs only.
“Our local businesses were among the first to put a stake in the ground around the move to impressions-based ad buys more than a year ago, giving local marketers a better currency for measurement. Utilizing impressions puts local TV on a level playing field with digital, since advertisers will no longer need to convert ratings to impressions in order to evaluate an overall ad buy. As always, our teams are ready to work hand-in-hand with local advertisers to deliver successful campaigns across all DMAs.”
– Frank Comerford, Chief Revenue Officer, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, NBCUniversal
Today’s announcement builds upon NBCUniversal’s ongoing commitment to, and investment in, the future of measurement, from cross-platform solutions such as CFlight to impact-based capabilities including Total Investment Impact. The move to 100 percent use of impressions, instead of traditional ratings points, by stations and RSNs will enable marketers to plan holistically across platforms and screens, and will more accurately showcase the increase in viewers as a result of the addition of BBO households. Nielsen’s introduction of broadband-only (BBO) homes into local market samples begins on April 1st, 2021.
“Moving to impressions brings the added benefit of eliminating zero cell quarter-hours, which had previously resulted in a reduction in inventory. Ratings, unlike impressions, are held to Nielsen’s minimum reporting standard thresholds. Ratings that do not meet these minimums are reported as zero viewership, while impressions are reported when viewing occurs in all quarter hours, effectively adding back anywhere from 5-20% of viewers depending on the daypart. This provides additional inventory for agencies and clients to reach their impressions goals on buys.”
– Michael Chico, Executive Vice President of NBC & Telemundo Owned Television Station Sales, NBCUniversal
Additionally, the news arrives on the heels of NBCUniversal’s innovations for local ad sales. In December 2020, the Company announced that it would expand its available digital inventory, addressable products, and advanced targeting by scaling NBC Spot On across One Platform, providing local marketers with unparalleled reach, premium content, and audience targeting capabilities. As a result, sales teams at NBC and Telemundo owned stations now have access to even more digital inventory from both NBC owned and operated properties and third parties. The expansion news arrived less than one year after the launch of NBC Spot On in February 2020. NBC Spot On is a new advanced video advertising business designed to give local, regional CTV and OTT access to premium, brand-safe video inventory. For more information about NBC Spot On, visit https://www.nbcspoton.com.
ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL:
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a premium ad-supported streaming service. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
