MediaWeek: Auto Helps Drive Up Ad Revenue for Comcast
By Anthony Crupi
Spurred by a resurgence in automotive spend and ongoing refinements of its targeting efforts, Comcast’s local ad sales unit enjoyed a strong first quarter, posting $360 million in revenue, a gain of 23 percent versus the prior-year period ($292 million).
According to Charlie Thurston, president of Comcast Spotlight, auto dollars were up 58 percent in Q1 ‘10, as the unit’s cooperative efforts with dealer associations and independents bore fruit. “When budgets were down, we worked closely with them to get their messages to the best prospects,” Thurston said. “By hyper-targeting dealer ads, we ensured that we got a bigger share of their business.”
