• by Wayne Friedman , June 18, 2009

NBC Universal continues to test the waters for its television advertising inventory with new digital TV buying and measuring systems.

The big media company has struck a wide-ranging agreement with Microsoft Corp. for its Admira media-buying and measuring system. NBC says the agreement will span across all of NBC's national TV networks, as well as with local station advertising inventory.

As it did with its previous -- and similar -- digital TV ad deal with Google's TV Ads, NBC Universal will make available select inventory from both its national broadcast and cable networks for the alliance. The Admira system is set to begin for NBC in the fourth quarter of 2009, but will not be part of NBC's upfront selling process, due to start in a couple of weeks.

Scott Ferris, general manager of emerging media for Microsoft, says there are big differences with Admira versus other digital systems. First, Admira will have access to premium advertising inventory across NBC's properties, not simply remnant or additional advertising avails that are part of other systems.

Also, unlike other new digital TV media systems, like the one from eBay, Ferris says Admira is not an auction system in which advertisers bid for the programs/TV packages.

"Television has been hamstrung about how it is bought and sold, as well as its lack of granular measurement," says Ferris. "Our solution is getting so much attention because it's not disruptive."

Using "millions" of set-top box data from cable systems and satellite providers, Ferris says Admira will give advertisers near-real-time buying opportunities, as well as media-posting capabilities -- all capable of being executed in a 24-hour period.

"Marketers want to have assurances [they] can reach their target audiences," says Ferris. "With the current measurement, it's very difficult to substantiate those audiences." Microsoft's system in gleaning data from millions of set-top boxes would also be helpful for emerging and thinly distributed TV networks, such as NBC's Sleuth and Chiller channels, he says.

Admira will compile anonymous data from set-top boxes, as well as demographic information and other consumer viewer purchasing and viewing data.

The deal comes on the heels of a successful test of Admira launched by the NBC Local Media group in March to buy and sell local television ad inventory in Los Angeles. This test also included NBC Universal's new local multicast network Universal Sports.

Admira, which was bought by Microsoft, was part of its Navic Networks purchase a year ago, and has been selling local cable advertising inventory for some time. It has select deals with the cable systems of Cox and Charter (in Southwest markets) and Time Warner (in Los Angeles and San Diego).