Comcast Spotlight to Represent Verizon FiOS TV for Local Advertising Sales in Select Markets
PHILADELPHIA, PA and NEW YORK, NY – June 24, 2009 – Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and Verizon today announced an agreement for Comcast Spotlight to sell local advertising on FiOS TV in selected markets where both Comcast and Verizon currently provide television service.
Under the agreement, Comcast Spotlight will represent FiOS TV in markets including Baltimore, Boston, Fort Wayne, Ind., Harrisburg, Pa., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., Seattle and Washington, D.C., selling local advertising on more than 50 ad-supported cable networks.
“We’ve been working to simplify the advertiser experience of buying media on cable networks, across all of our markets,” said Charlie Thurston, President of Comcast Spotlight. “This agreement enables both companies to best meet the needs of advertisers of all sizes. The convenience of a single media source to reach the largest possible audience is what marketers and agencies are asking for, and it’s what we’re delivering through agreements like this one.”
Comcast Spotlight’s interconnects across the country enable advertisers to place their messages in all or part of a market—or across multiple markets—with one-stop shopping: one buy, one tape and one invoice, making television one of the easiest media outlets to purchase. Comcast Spotlight currently represents approximately 30 million subscribers nationwide, including customers of Comcast and other television providers, and is the largest spot-cable sales organization in the U.S. The company’s infrastructure and sales team makes it simple for advertisers to reach their target audiences.
“This arrangement with Comcast Spotlight provides advertisers with a simple way to reach viewers,” said Richard Williams, Executive Director of Advertising Sales at Verizon. “We want to make doing business with Verizon easy for advertisers, and this helps us achieve that objective.”
Added Steve Burke, COO of Comcast Corporation and President of Comcast Cable, “Even as we and Verizon compete in other areas of our businesses, we both recognize the value of being partners in the advertising business and the importance of streamlining the way advertisers buy spot cable. This is a natural fit for both companies and complements the similar agreements we’ve made with a number of other video distributors.”
NCC, the nation’s largest spot cable sales organization, will manage multi-market buys on both the Comcast and FiOS TV services for national advertisers.
###
About Comcast Spotlight
Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps put the power of cable to use for local, regional and national advertisers. It is focused on providing multi-platform marketing solutions to reach audiences most effectively and efficiently. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Comcast Spotlight has a presence in nearly 90 markets with approximately 30 million owned and represented subscribers. Comcast Spotlight is a trademark of Comcast Cable. For more information, visit www.comcastspotlight.com.
About Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 80 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 224,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
Press Contacts
Chris Ellis, Comcast Spotlight
215-286-7771
chris_ellis@comcast.com
Debra Lewis, Verizon
908-559-7512
debra.lewis@verizonwireless.com
Heather Wilner, Verizon
212-321-8333
heather.b.wilner@verizon.com
