Comcast’s NBC Universal is teaming up with retailer Walmart to integrate shoppable ads into live sports coverage on Peacock, the companies announced this week.
The partnership builds on an arrangement announced earlier this month that allowed Peacock subscribers to shop for items via Walmart’s online store while watching reality shows and other TV series from Bravo. Customers who come across an item they want to buy can use their remotes to browse a product carousel, then select the item to pull up a QR code that allows them to complete the purchase using their smartphone or tablet.
The shoppable experience during live sports streamed via Peacock will work in much the same way, and will also include NBC Universal’s new text-to-shop feature. Walmart will run several spots during live sports Thanksgiving night, including a two-minute “Deals of Desire” segment that will showcase some of its biggest holiday deals.
“The power and reach of NBCUniversal’s sports portfolio is unmatched — bringing game day action to life for fans and brands in a highly engaging and effective ecosystem,” Alison Levin, the President of Advertising and Partnerships at NBC Universal, said in a statement. “vBy teaming up with the powerhouse of Walmart and Walmart Connect, we’re differentiating the viewer experience with a first-of-its-kind shoppable activation, while also amplifying real, cross-platform accountability for marketers on one of our biggest stages.”
Levin called the partnership the “next era of advertising: The most-compelling content, an innovative viewer experience and real, cross-platform reach and attribution.”
As mentioned, Walmart and NBC Universal have long collaborated on ways to bring new forms of advertising in front of TV and sports fans who are increasingly turning to streaming platforms for their video needs. Those platforms unlock additional opportunities beyond the usual TV spots that run on broadcast and cable TV, including interactive and shoppable ad formats that not only allow retailers like Walmart to effectuate purchases, but also give retailers and streaming platforms alike vast troves of shopping data that can be used to make more-effective campaigns down the road.
“The new advertising opportunities we’re introducing, powered by Walmart’s scale and reach, will be a game-changer in helping to solve the linear equation by tying our in-store purchase data to linear audiences,” Rich Lehrfeld, the SVP and General Manager of Walmart Connect, said in a statement this week.
Walmart and NBC Universal will be bringing the ad formats to other programming in the future, including the “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” tree lighting special, scheduled to air on NBC and stream on Peacock on December 4.
