A fraction of NBC Universal’s ad inventory is now in the hands of Google, as the company officially rolls out its Google TV Ads program. The ads brokered by Google will begin appearing Thursday morning NBCU’s digital-cable net Sleuth and Chiller, reports AdAge. The brokered ads will begin appearing around 6 a.m. The Google ad program will extend to cable networks CNBC, MSNBC, Sci Fi and Oxygen throughout the rest of the quarter.
“The pact raised eyebrows when it was announced in September, but NBC Universal may be on to something as marketers crave more ability to customize their ad plans, placing commercials on air at specific times and in specific ways, rather than just spraying them across a network’s programming. In exchange, NBC may be able to bring in new business from smaller advertisers who wouldn’t normally try to purchase its national advertising inventory,” said the story.
Under the terms of the three-year deal, NBC sets a floor for pricing, as well as standards of quality. It also has control over its inventory, so that if a Google TV ad were to pose a conflict with another advertiser on air, the Google ad would have to run in a different fashion.
The Google program is expected to extend to NBC’s local TV stations at some point in the near future, said the story.
