Brian Steinberg Laura Molen NBCU NATPE Virtual
Laura Molen, president of Advertising Sales and Alliances at NBCUniversal Media, LLC., said she’s excited about taking part in the streaming world during this new media renaissance. Molen participated in a keynote conversation entitled The Big Deals of Advertising during a virtual event of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) dubbed The Evolution and Transformation of TV. Molen spoke with the moderator, Variety Editor Brian Steinberg, about the Peacock streaming service and how it began with just 10 advertisers and now has more than 100. She noted that at Peacock they have a kind of council with various clients who offer insights into consumer habits and publicity preferences. Molen said that through this council – the Peacock Council – NBCUniversal shares exclusive content, including data from its research into audiences and advertisements, with its members. Molen said that Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD) has a “brilliant” future. She added that the best premium content can coexist with ads if these are done in an attractive way, and that the ads on Peacock have a 95 percent familiarity lift. She emphasized that the Peacock ad load lasts just five minutes with advertising innovations, whereas on streamers of the competition the ad load can hit from 10 to 17 minutes. Molen said that among all the advertising innovations, only streaming allows ads to be inserted when the viewer halts the content, which makes it a “very innovative” kind of billboard. “People remember the ads on Peacock 41 percent more than they remember those on other platforms,” she said. The executive said that in the coming Upfronts and Newfronts, an immense change will be perceived in the volume of advertising dollars invested in streamers. “We’re going to see a massive demand and we’ll see the change in the amount of dollars moving to streaming. We’re already seeing them in our portfolio,” she said. Molen added that in the coming months, Peacock will offer advertisers more opportunities in sports. It already covers soccer’s Premier League, the NFL and MLB games and soon the World Cup, among others.
