The ad sales division of Comcast Cable and AT&T Advanced Ad Solutions, the national ad sales division of AT&T, have signed a sales pact the affects more than 20 markets where both Comcast and AT&T currently provide TV service. Comcast Spotlight will sell local ads on the AT&T U-verse TV service in selected markets beginning as soon as June. The goal is to provide local, regional and national spot advertisers the convenience of having a single media source for local spot advertising in these markets.
The deal includes up to 50 leading ad-supported cable networks in Atlanta, Hartford, Memphis, Champaign, IL, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Indianapolis, Monterey, CA, Detroit, Jackson, MS, Nashville, Flint, MI, Jacksonville, Sacramento, Fresno, Lansing. MI, San Francisco, Grand Rapids, Little Rock and West Palm Beach.
Comcast Spotlight signed similar deals with Verizon FiOS TV in 2009 that cover Baltimore, Boston, Fort Wayne, Ind., Harrisburg, Pa., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., Seattle and Washington, D.C., selling local advertising on more than 50 ad-supported cable networks.
NCC Media, the ad sales, marketing and technology organization that represents cable, satellite and telco operators in every U.S. market, will manage multi-market buys on both the Comcast and AT&T U-verse services for national advertisers.
RBR-TVBR observation: Spotlight has such a foothold in these local markets that AT&T U-verse may be having issues selling their inventory. Even though AT&T will likely have to give up a bit of share of ad buys to Spotlight on the deal, it must be the case that working together will net them more than continuing separately. Bottom line, though, they are joining hands to make it easier for the advertisers–and to get more of the overall share of the ad pie.
