NBC, Microsoft Try Selling TV Spots via Web Tools

First Google. Now NBC Universal is working with Microsoft to test selling TV spots via a suite of Web-based tools.

The two companies today said that the NBC Local Media Group in March began selling a select portion of television ad inventory from two networks in Los Angeles via Microsoft’s Admira platform. Admira is a product of Navic Networks—a company that Microsoft acquired about a year ago. The platform is designed to let advertisers purchase specific audience demographics using set top box data — and also automatically manage and track inventory.

Following the March test in L.A., NBCU said it now plans to begin testing Admira to sell inventory from across its broadcast and cable networks to both small and large advertisers. According to executives, large agencies and clients can use Admira for planning data, while more modest marketers can employ the platform to purchase inventory through an automated Web dashboard.

The NBC initiative is smaller in scale than Microsoft’s Google TV partnership, and Admira does not sell ads via an auction model.

“This is all about improving ROI for clients and experimenting with next-generation metrics and processes,” said Mike Pilot, president, sales and marketing, NBCU.