At its 2023 IAB NewFronts event on Tuesday, NBCUniversal revealed four new ad formats for brands to expand their ad reach with Peacock Premium subscribers, including marketable ads powered by artificial intelligence, among others.
The company also announced two new original films that are set to arrive soon on the streaming service.
The first ad format that caught our attention was Must ShopTV, which allows viewers to purchase products that appear in Peacock’s content. For example, knives and cutting boards are featured in Top Chef.
This capability is powered by KERV Interactive and uses a trained algorithm to identify shoppable products. A QR code will then appear on the TV screen, and viewers can interact with the claim via their mobile device and then purchase an item using payment information that is already on file with the Peacock app.
The company told TechCrunch that in the future, viewers could shop via their TV remote.
NBCU initially introduced Must ShopTV during its ad technology-focused show, One23, in February. The company announced Tuesday that it’s officially available to marketers.
Image credits: NBC Universal
Roku has a similar shoppable ad format; However, Roku’s shoppable ads are presented as an overlay of an existing ad. The company launched the ads last June as a partnership with Walmart.
Peacock’s Must ShopTV ads are located within the show itself, giving viewers the option to opt out of the shopping experience.
Spotlight+ is another new advertising solution that makes a brand’s first impression across Peacock, Fandango and NBCU partner sites, which include Snap and Apple News, among others, the company told us. On the same day, the brand gets its Prime Pod or first placement in broadcast and cable. Prime Pod is a 60-second segment that appears in the first or last ad break of a prime time show.
Spotlight+ enables advertisers to target audiences no matter where they are or whether they’re watching Peacock originals or titles from a third-party digital partner.
The new solution is a step up from Peacock’s Spotlight ad format, which allows marketers to own the first impression across all platforms and streaming devices 24 hours a day.
Three years after Peacock introduced Pause ads, the broadcast company is launching Power Break ads, data-informed pause ads that can be customized to fit the brand’s message—custom colors, language, and more. Paused ads take over the full screen of a viewer’s device when viewing is paused.
Another new ad format on broadcast is Marquee, which is designed to show live sports. Marquee ads have existed in linear form since 2012, however, and are now available on the NBCU-owned streaming service for the first time. The brand’s logo can be placed on the scoreboard during a live match or on the lower left or right side of the screen, so that advertisers can target sports fans without being intrusive.
Image credits: NBC Universal
All of the new ad formats take advantage of NBCUniversal’s One Platform, the company’s proprietary suite of technologies.
Peter Blacker, Executive Vice President of Streaming & Data Products and President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said in a statement. “Plus, our premium content is available to any advertiser – after all, Peacock is a unique destination for fans and advertisers.”
In addition to the adverts, Peacock has revealed its upcoming original films such as “Bernard and the Genie,” a remake of the 1991 British comedy, which starred Alan Cumming as Bernard and Lenny Henry as the Genie. The Peacock adaptation will feature Melissa McCarthy in the role of the genie who helps a workaholic man get on his family’s good side this Christmas.
The broadcast company has announced new sponsors for LeBron James’ documentary “Shooting Stars,” which was previously announced at last year’s NewFronts show. The film is sponsored by Capital One, Google Pixel and State Farm.
Peacock released the teaser last week. It premieres on June 2nd.
“Shooting Stars” was one of the first original films announced by Peacock, along with “Praise This” and “The Killer.”
NBCU also promoted a theatrical release strategy, saying that two out of three Peacock subscribers watch recently released Universal films. Universal’s latest releases on Peacock include “Cocaine Bear,” “Knock at the Cabin,” “Violent Night,” and more.
According to the company, 95% of viewers had a positive reaction to cinematic ad experiences, including pre-roll and pause ads.
Peacock recently reported its latest earnings results, which showed that the operator has reached a total of 22 million paying subscribers.