Comcast & Streamers Target YouTube's Ad Revenue

The Shifting Landscape of TV Advertising

According to James Rooke, president of Comcast Advertising, the primary challenge for traditional TV providers and streaming services isn't competition amongst themselves. Instead, it’s the growing dominance of social video platforms. This observation was made during an interview at CES 2025 in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Introducing "Universal Ads"

Rooke’s comments coincided with the unveiling of Comcast Advertising’s “universal ads” initiative. This new solution aims to streamline the process for marketers to purchase TV advertising across a diverse range of media organizations through a single access point.

Key Launch Partners

Several prominent media companies have already partnered for the launch of universal ads. These include A+E, AMC Networks, DIRECTV, Fox Corporation, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Roku, TelevisaUnivision, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Xumo. Further additions to this partnership network are anticipated.

Focus on Streaming Inventory

Initially, the inventory available through universal ads will primarily consist of streaming inventory. However, plans are in place to integrate solutions for linear TV inventory in the future, expanding the reach of the platform.

Simplifying Ad Buying

The core objective of this initiative is to simplify the TV ad buying process. This simplification is intended to make it as straightforward as purchasing ads on social video platforms like YouTube.

Attracting Social Video Advertisers

Rooke explained that many advertisers have successfully built their businesses on social video advertising, particularly on platforms like YouTube. These advertisers have previously lacked easy access to the reach and advertising solutions offered by established TV companies.

Brand Safety Concerns

Advertisers are also increasingly prioritizing brand safety. Social video platforms haven’t always consistently provided this, as evidenced by past advertiser boycotts of YouTube and similar sites.

Expanding Consideration for Premium Video

The launch of universal ads seeks to position “premium” video content as a viable option for marketers currently focused on social video advertising. This includes both unscripted and short-form video content, as well as content found on platforms like Meta’s apps.

Social Video as the Primary Competitor

Rooke emphasized that the majority of industry competition and growth is originating from social video, rather than from other TV providers or streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

Chasing New Ad Dollars

Comcast’s decision to pursue new advertising revenue from the rapidly expanding social video sector reflects this understanding. The company is prioritizing growth opportunities over simply competing for existing TV ad dollars.

YouTube's Expansion into TV Advertising

YouTube has been actively working to capture a larger share of the TV ad market for several years. This effort has been fueled by the increasing popularity of its service on televisions, now accounting for almost half of its total viewership.