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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 covers the business of broadcast and streaming TV, radio broadcasting, social media, technology and telecommunications. A journalist for over 15 years, Matthew previously worked at Thomson Reuters, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTXL in Sacramento and McNaughton Newspapers. He received 9 California Journalism Awards between 2018 and 2020, and is a member of IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors).
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