NBC Owned Television Stations, which oversees the 10 local stations NBCU/Comcast owns, and NECN (New England Cable News), the largest 24-hour regional news network in the country, have signed off on an agreement that will allow the O&O Stations group to sell national advertising for NECN.
The new partnership, effective at the end of June, bolsters the ad sales reach of the NBC-owned stations, which will now include eight of the nation’s top 10 TV markets with the addition of Boston.
Says Frank Comerford, Chief Revenue Officer of NBC Owned Television Stations: “The addition of NECN and the Boston television market to our portfolio enables us to offer an even more robust product to advertisers interested in reaching consumers across multiple platforms in the nation’s largest markets.”
NECN is in more than 3 million homes in more than 1,000 cities and towns throughout New England.
RBR-TVBR observation: This is a good example of Comcast and NBCU capitalizing on existing synergies in the markets they serve, after their recent merger. NECN is part of Comcast Sports Group which includes NECN and 13 other local cable nets with a sports and entertainment focus. The deal will indeed cast a wider net for advertisers who want to have a broader reach with less separate buys placed.
