Dividing the business is necessary for this huge account, which really cannot consolidate with one unit as the merger of Comcast and NBCU created a number of conflicts for agencies across studios, cable networks, O&O stations and theme parks. So, following a review, Comcast-NBC divided its $1.4 billion media duties between Publicis and WPP shops. Medialink CEO Michael Kassan was the consultant for the review.
The Publicis Groupe team, including MediaVest and Starcom, won the Comcast cable biz and added theme parks to its portfolio, reported AdAge. NBC Universal will go to WPP’s Group M, which will also hold onto its existing business in international markets. In the U.S., NBC Universal will be handled by Maxus. Movie studios helped complicate the process within Group M: The media network handles the Universal business abroad, but in the U.S. MediaCom has competitor Warner Brothers; MEC has Paramount; and Mindshare has Summit.
OMD supported Universal Studios in the U.S. since 1999; MediaVest has handled the bulk of Comcast’s spending since 2006; and Horizon and Publicis’ Fallon have shared media duties for NBC Universal TV properties in the U.S. since 2005. MediaVest had previously handled the bulk of Comcast’s cable spend.
