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The company is also adding something it’s calling “Prime Pod,” which will feature a 60-second pod of just one or two advertisers, down from a typical two and a half minute pod, in a show’s first or last break. That’s something that’s syndication has offered for years, with the first break in many nationally syndicated shows only one minute long to reduce clutter.
Other forthcoming initiatives include interactive picture-in-picture, social commercials and social-first pods. Viewers saw some of these initiatives during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. For example, many commercial breaks aired as a split screen, with Olympics content continuing on the left side of the screen while a commercial aired on the right.
NBCU also is starting to use artificial intelligence to cull through scripts and shows to offer advertisements that are contextually relevant to whatever content is airing.
According to Nielsen Media Research, less advertising and more innovative spots “increase consumer engagement by more than 20 percent.”
“Sometimes, a little bit less means a whole lot more,” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and client partnerships, NBCUniversal. “The industry knows that television is already the most effective advertising medium there is, but we need to make the experience better for viewers. We promised some big swings last fall to move our industry forward and this is the first one. Now, NBCUniversal is advancing the TV experience as consumer behavior has evolved: lower ad loads, more innovation and more targeting. We’re reimagining the advertising experience for consumers, marketers, and the entire industry.”
The initiative will start this fall, with NBCU’s ad sales force kicking off the pitch as upfront season gets underway.
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