• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 6, 2010

Comcast Spotlight, the local ad sales arm of the large cable company, said it is now offering interactive advertising (iTV) opportunities in 30 markets. Collectively, that covers 10 million-plus homes. In theory, a national advertiser hungry for iTV could tee up a plan to reach all of them, though it would be a logistical challenge.

Comcast Spotlight, however, indicated demand has been more local so far. It cited the city of Joliet, Ill., as using the platform to boost tourism, and a regional airport in Chicago trying to increase travelers. California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has also run iTV spots. Hair care company Idelle has run a campaign in Chicago and wants to move to other markets.

As Comcast Spotlight sells market by market, national iTV ads are the would-be province of Canoe Ventures, which has a platform up and running, allowing an advertiser to run spots on networks such as AMC and Style. So far, those iTV ads only reach homes served by Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Canoe will not say how many households the ads can stream into.

But Canoe, owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and four other operators, hopes to reach a large portion of homes served by the six owners by next year.

The Comcast Spotlight and Canoe interfaces appear similar. Request-for-information ads include a prompt on-screen allowing a viewer to order a coupon or product sample to be sent to their homes via a few clicks of the remote.

Whitman used it to allow viewers to order a bumper sticker for her campaign or receive a call about becoming a volunteer. On one level, iTV ads can be a form of direct-response advertising offering lead generation.