Scott Gries/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
NBCUniversal has completed its pre-sales process and reported “moderate growth across the portfolio,” driven by sports, Peacock and its digital platforms.
The Comcast-owned media giant doesn’t disclose specific advertising revenue figures, but eMarketer recently estimated that the entire upfront market is worth about $17.5 billion as ad dollars continue to shift from linear TV to streaming and digital.
NBCU’s sports advertising division achieved its highest-ever pre-paid commitments, buoyed by double-digit year-over-year growth in sports digital, and Hispanic sports ad spending, led by Telemundo, increased 20%.
The entertainment and news division maintained its upfront performance in line with last year’s results, led by strength from Bravo and its late-night and news divisions.
Peacock saw its highest pre-orders ever and grew 40% over the past three years. During Comcast’s first-quarter earnings call in April, NBCU president Mike Cavanagh said Peacock is “gaining momentum” with its mix of entertainment and live sports. The service had 34 million subscribers as of March 31 and generated $1.1 million in revenue in the first quarter.
“Over the last year, we’ve focused every investment and innovation on increasing media effectiveness for our clients,” Mark Marshall, NBCU’s chairman of advertising and partnerships, said in a statement provided to Deadline. “Our compelling content provides the ultimate canvas for advertisers to tell their brand stories to consumers. And this year’s upfront saw NBCUniversal see increased advertising commitments across its portfolio in key business areas like strategic audiences, live programming and streaming, demonstrating to the market the value of our storytelling and the strength of our powerful technology stack.”