Small businesses will be able to create, buy, and measure premium TV ad campaigns.
A self-service ad platform, Universal Ads, has been launched by Comcast in partnership with Channel 4, ITV, and Sky. This will allow SMBs to create, buy, and measure premium ad campaigns across ITV, Sky, and Channel 4 through one single interface.
The platform is built to help brands focus on growth, digital-native, DTC, or scaling beyond social – which have historically been shut out of TV advertising. The new platform is built based on social media buying, but also protects brand safety and effectiveness given by broadcaster-quality TV advertising.
“This milestone represents the next phase of Universal Ads as we expand onto the global stage,” David Shaw, head of global expansion at Universal Ads, said.
“Together with Channel 4, ITV and Sky, we’ve built a platform that changes how TV advertising works in the UK today, bringing an experience that feels as simple as social, while preserving everything that makes broadcaster TV trusted, effective and impactful.”
This follows a year of collaboration between Sky, Channel 4, ITV, and Comcast’s product, operations and commercial teams.
Comcast said that broadcast partners have tested, refined, and enhanced the platform in order to create a ‘market-ready solution built for the evolving needs of UK advertisers’.
“Through Universal Ads, we are breaking down traditional barriers and making it easier than ever for a whole new wave of brands to harness the power of TV,” said Karen Eccles, managing director at Sky Media.
“This partnership is an opportunity to show that the quality and impact of broadcast TV is now truly accessible to everyone.”
This launch in particular marks a major step forward for television advertising, opening the door for SMBs that can now access a self-serve platform to strengthen their marketing efforts.
