• January 27, 2005

The NBC Affiliate Advertising and Promotion Services (AAPS), part of The NBC Agency, the in-house ad agency for NBC Universal, has signed a long-term contract with media auditing firm Teletrax to electronically track network promotional material aired by U.S. television stations.

The specific length of the agreement was not disclosed.

The agreement was announced Wednesday by the "digital watermarking firm" at NATPE 2005, the annual conference of the National Association of Television Program Executives.

Teletrax, a subsidiary of Medialink Worldwide, will help NBC assess the effectiveness of its marketing efforts by tracking local television airings of network promotion spots in the top 100 U.S. markets.

"To be able to track and value almost instantaneously, the material we are sending out will make us even more effective on bigger, long-term projects," said Scot Chastain, vice president of NBC AAPS. "We expect Teletrax to help the stations and The NBC Agency increase their effectiveness in promoting the network."