For decades, television advertising has largely been the preserve of a thousand or so major brands with the budgets and know-how to navigate its complex buying landscape. Now, one of the industry’s biggest players is leading an effort to tear down the walls to the premium video ad market.
Comcast’s strategy involves redesigning the entire process of buying television inventory to mirror the simplicity of social media platforms. By removing long-standing points of friction, the goal is to attract a whole new class of advertisers to the medium, many of whom have previously found it inaccessible.
This is the central mission for Universal Ads, an “industry play, led by Comcast, to open up the TV advertising ecosystem,” said Adam Royle, head of publisher, Universal Ads, Comcast Advertising, in this video interview with Beet.TV.
Simplifying access to premium video
The core principle behind Universal Ads is to make buying high-quality video inventory as straightforward as boosting a post on a social feed. This required a purpose-built platform that abstracts away the traditional complexities of media buying.
“Universal Ads was purpose-built to be able to buy TV as simple as it is to buy Instagram or Meta,” Royle said. The platform uses a familiar process from social buying interfaces, and “it is made for any user to be able to buy the television category within minutes”.
A key part of this simplification is the aggressive removal of known barriers to entry. This includes integrating new technology, such as an AI-powered tool to help small businesses create commercials quickly and affordably. “Some examples we’re doing of this are native tools for creative and measurement, streamlined financial onboarding and credit checks, and we’re also waiving traditional buy-side fees,” he explained.
Proving performance with partnerships
A recent Comcast Advertising study found that 89% of advertisers who have rarely or never used TV would be willing to try it, indicating a large, untapped market waiting for a simpler solution.
Comcast Advertising Aims to Make TV Ad Buying as Simple as Social
To attract new advertisers, particularly those accustomed to the direct feedback loops of digital platforms, proving the effectiveness of TV spend is critical. Royle noted that Universal Ads is focused on an “agnostic” approach to measurement, using third-party partners to validate the impact of television campaigns.
“We’re focused on partnering with third parties to validate impact television advertising,” Royle stated. This strategy includes recent Comcast Advertising initiatives with companies like Mastercard to connect TV ad exposure directly to consumer purchasing behavior.
This approach also means borrowing from the social media playbook, working with measurement companies like Measured that have roots in that space. “We’re working with companies like this to actually show real business outcomes in TV,” Royle said. “Some examples of these outcomes would be return on ad spend, incrementality, or actual purchases.”
Building an ecosystem for the future
After launching in the first half of the year, Royle said that Universal Ads will continue to make moves to streamline the broader advertising environment. This includes efforts to promote standardized data and workflows across the industry to enhance efficiency and transparency.
“You’ll see more broader announcements with us working with the ecosystem to relieve those friction points,” he hinted. The roadmap for the remainder of the year includes expanding its network and technical capabilities.
“On the publisher front, we will be announcing another round of publishers later this year. There will be a reporting API, which is also aligned with the comments I made earlier about advertising efficacy.”
