NBCU’s Ad-Sales Unit Hires Execs to Promote Ad-Tech, Data, Measurement

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA new NBCUniversal advertising executive is taking on the task of tackling advertisers to link themselves to such sports properties as “Sunday Night Football” and the soon-to-launch USFL.Peter Lazarus will take the lead on selling ads behind the bulk of NBCUniversal’s sports programming, part of a gradual overhaul of the company’s work behind connecting Madison Avenue with some of TV’s biggest and most-watched properties.Lazarus has been named executive vice president of sports ad-sales, taking up responsibilities previously held by Dan Lovinger, a longtime NBCU ad-sales exec who has been assigned to focus more intently on the company’s efforts behind Olympics advertising. Lovinger was elevated to president in January and will lead Olympics ad-sales efforts as NBCU works harder to fulfill a commitment it has made along the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, pledging to offer long-term deals to partners for TV, digital, and live event advertising, as well as brand activations and associations with Team USA.

The Walking Dead finale after AMC announced a spin-off series for Negan.Morgan said it was a “shocker” to learn that AMC had shared the news about the New York-based spin-off Isle Of The Dead, which will centre on Negan and Maggie Rhee.The project was announced earlier this month. Some fans were left confused as to why the spin-off news would have been revealed during part two of The Walking Dead’s final season, which has been split into three parts.Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show about the announcement, Morgan said: “I guess we don’t need to die. Spoiler Alert, folks.

Toni Braxton is looking back at a heartfelt memory that occurred prior to the passing of her sister Traci Braxton.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTanqueray wants to raise a glass to the second season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” — and generate some publicity for itself while doing so.The Diageo gin brand is teaming up with the streaming-video giant in a promotion that aims to create a new social occasion that’s tied to the themes of the drama series, which is set in London during Britain’s Regency era. The two companies are set to release a video for followers of their social accounts that will show Joe Jonas, comedian Phoebe Robinson and “Bridgerton” actor Jonathan Bailey turning “tea time” into “T-time” while exploring many themes of the series.When it comes to working with Netflix, traditional commercials just won’t do.

William Hurt died on Sunday, March 13. The Oscar winner was 71.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, FeaturesThe feature film “Freda” and short film “You Can Always Come Home,” both family dramas, earned top prizes at the 39th edition of Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival. Presented in a hybrid format this year, with both in-theater and virtual presentations, the 2022 Festival ran from March 4-13.Making its U.S.

Traci Braxton has died after privately waging a year-long battle with cancer.

Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has opted to make one change from the side which drew against Morecambe in midweek for today's encounter versus Plymouth Argyle.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPaul Wilson never ran a 10,000 meter race at the Olympics, but he sure must feel like it.Wilson has supervised much of the work that NBCUniversal’s ad-sales team has had to do over the past two decade to make the company’s investment in the Olympics pay off. He is stepping down from his role as senior vice president of Olympics ad sales at NBCU, ending a streak of selling commercial inventory for the past ten editions of the Games, eight as the leader — making him directly responsible for $10 billion in ad revenue.

Sky Studios, the original programming arm of broadcaster Sky in Europe, has bolstered its UK Drama Commissioning team with a pair of hires.

New details about Health Freeman’s death have finally been revealed months after his tragic death.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV networks have long demanded more data from Nielsen to help keep track of viewers who are leaving traditional TV for streaming video and mobile viewing. Now they say they want less.Nielsen recently began releasing new sets of information that include more granular measurement of TV audiences, available alongside its traditional measures of total linear viewership by age and gender.

Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has made one change from the side which beat Gillingham last weekend for this evening's clash against Morecambe.

Johnny Brown, best known as the beloved actor who played housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman on “Good Times”, has died. He was 84.

Julie Andrews cherishes her time with Tony Walton.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe media industry’s measurement wars are expanding beyond counting traditional video audiences.iSpot, the measurement company that figures prominently in plans by NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia to offer alternatives to Nielsen in the sector’s looming “upfront” marketplace, will acquire Tunity, an analytics company that analyzes consumer viewing habits in public locations nationwide, including restaurants, offices, bars and hotels.“We want to account for all viewing across all screens,” says Sean Muller, iSpot’s founder and CEO, in an interview. The Tunity acquisition, he says, could be “powerful, both for our advertising clients who invest heavily in tentpole events and programs that are consumed outside the home and for our media partners.” The companies did not disclose financial terms.Keeping track of so-called “out of home” audiences has become more critical to TV networks, who understand that significant chunks of viewership for news, sports and other live programming is often found outside a consumer’s main habitat.

Kelly Dodd says “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is quite superficial.

Buckingham Palace released a short statement on Wednesday (February 23), just hours after a major death hoax spread across the Internet.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAT&T and State Farm are the latest big advertisers to experiment with new ways of figuring out just who is watching TV – and the commercials that support it.The two marketers are among those who are taking part in an alliance between Discovery and Omnicom Media Group. Under the pact, a handful of Omnicom clients, including the telecom and insurance giants, will test new ways of tabulating linear TV audiences using Comscore and VideoAmp, and examine recent viewership data.