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Apple taps NBC Universal for ad sales on news, stocks apps

(Image: Apple, Inc./Handout)

Apple says it has expanded a partnership with Comcast’s NBC Universal that will see the broadcaster become the exclusive advertising reseller for the Apple News and Apple Stocks applications in the United Kingdom.

The move expands a similar partnership inked between Apple and NBC Universal in 2017 concerning the same advertisements and applications that are distributed in the United States. The deal announced on Friday includes an expansion of the exclusive rights in the United States as well, the website Radio and Television Business Report said.

“Expanding our work with Apple News underscores our mutual commitment to making News and Stocks the premier, privacy-forward destination for users, publishers, and brands,” Krishan Bhatia, the president and chief business executive at NBC Universal, said in a statement. “By creating expanded sales opportunities and product enhancements, we will continue to deliver industry leading monetization solutions for Apple News and its premium publishers.”

Publishers in the United Kingdom and the United States have the option of allowing NBC Universal to handle their advertisement sales. NBC will allow publishers to tap into advertisement inventory from its portfolio of networks, including CNBC, USA Network, NBC News and NBC Sports as well as partner publishers like BuzzFeed News, the Huffington Post and Vice Media Group.

Data provided by NBC Universal showed its partnership with Apple helped increase brand awareness by over 33 percent and brand favorability by over 57 percent.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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