NBCUniversal Hires Nielsen Executive to Expand Its Measurement Work

Ms. Abcarian’s hiring comes as the TV advertising business is undergoing a dramatic change. Viewership is increasingly moving from traditional linear TV to streaming platforms, which has prompted big TV companies, including NBCUniversal, to launch major video services of their own.

Digital platforms, meanwhile, have been capturing a greater share of U.S. ad spend by letting marketers more precisely target and measure the performance of their ads at a time when the pandemic has led consumers to spend more money online. That has pressured legacy media companies to modernize how they sell media and the tools and systems they use to execute deals.

NBCUniversal, for example, last year introduced an offering called One Platform, which combines existing and new tools for advertisers to plan, schedule, optimize and measure video ad campaigns. Marketers can use One Platform to run audience-based campaigns across NBCUniversal networks and digital properties, which include its broadcast network; cable networks such as USA Network, Bravo and MSNBC; the streaming service Peacock; and content it distributes on platforms such as YouTube and Snapchat.

NBCUniversal spends more than $100 million annually on data and technology tied to One Platform’s advanced advertising, measurement and other capabilities, Mr. Bhatia said. It is a number that has grown over the past five years, he added. The team at NBCUniversal overseeing One Platform’s technology and measurement work comprises more than 500 people.

“The importance of measurement, data and identity is only accelerating day by day,” Mr. Bhatia said.

Ms. Abcarian’s responsibilities will include improving NBCUniversal’s measurement tools to help marketers better analyze and value the reach and effectiveness of their media buys, especially as more TV viewing occurs on internet-connected screens.

Roughly 70% of the time consumers spend today with NBCUniversal’s ad-supported properties is still happening on traditional linear TV and not digital platforms, but the split will likely be even within a couple of years, Mr. Bhatia said.

Ms. Abcarian will also oversee NBCUniversal’s work on how its ad inventory can drive business outcomes such as store visits or online purchases.

Additionally, she will play a key role in the development of NBCUniversal’s data strategy, the company said, particularly as the privacy landscape for media sellers and buyers changes due to new rules from tech giants. Looming limits on consumer targeting have already prompted some marketers to start collecting more so-called first-party data directly from consumers.

NBCUniversal is working on what it calls “NBCU ID,” an effort to capture more first-party data directly from customers across its portfolio, whether they sign up for Peacock, buy a movie ticket through the company’s Fandango service or visit a Universal Studios theme park, Mr. Bhatia said. It is also building an organization to oversee work on the company’s customer data platform.

Ms. Abcarian said she would help NBCUniversal secure and manage measurement and data partnerships as well as technical integrations with outside firms, tech vendors and industry trade groups.

“Measurement is a team sport,” she said. “The way to unlock value is to look at the right set of partners to find new interoperable solutions.”

Write to Sahil Patel at [email protected]