• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 15, 2010

NCC Media continues to make frenemies. The rep firm owned by cable operators has a deal to sell inventory in local markets for DirecTV. It inked a similar arrangement with Verizon FiOS several years ago.

NCC will bundle inventory controlled by DirecTV with its "interconnects," where it sells spots airing on cable networks on behalf of multiple operators in local markets. That allows a national advertiser to reach much of Los Angeles or New York with a single buy.

The addition of the DirecTV homes -- expected next year -- gives NCC greater coverage in 25 markets. DirecTV has new technology allowing it to insert different ads in different markets for the first time, rather than run the same spot nationally in a "local break."

NCC's owners Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable battle DirecTV and Verizon for subscribers, and there is evidence they are losing customers to the pair. But in a statement about the latest deal, NCC said it "creates a golden opportunity for DirecTV and the cable MSOs to grow ad revenues together."

Comcast and Time Warner Cable's local ad-sales operation have separate deals with Verizon to sell in tandem.

Helping the new DirecTV deal is NCC Media's working relationship with the satellite operator since 2008, where it represents it in sales for nine regional sports cable networks.