One of the nation’s largest satellite TV providers has team with a cable television rival to start selling local advertising spots for the first time.
The partnership between NCC Media, an advertising and sales media firm owned by Comcast, and DirecTV will allow for ads to be aired coast-to-coast.
In the past DirecTV has only been able to sell ad time to national advertisers due to software restrictions that prohibit different TV streams being shown in different markets. New technology allows the satellite TV provider to air different commercials to different cities, meaning local advertisers can buy air time in their city alone.
For years, NCC has been selling local advertising for numerous cable TV companies including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and Verizon Communications. While they have no experience selling ads for satellite TV, their strength in local markets make them an ideal partner for DirecTV.
Sometime in the next year DirecTV will start selling ads in the 25 largest markets in the US. These ads will be pushed down from the satellites and stored in individual customers digital video receivers. During the commercial break, the receiver determines which ads to display.