• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 5, 2021

Taboola, which powers recommendations globally across the web, has announced a multiyear deal with NBC Sports to provide mid-article advertisements and messages aimed at keeping advertisers safe from offensive content and other ads that might appear on the page.

NBC Sports’ digital properties, under the agreement, will adopt Taboola’s services as their exclusive video monetization and content recommendation provider for mid-article placements.

This agreement builds on an existing seven-year partnership. NBC Sports also will continue to use Taboola’s technology offerings, including the Taboola Feed -- an integrated feed that provides readers with personalized content and targeted advertisements -- to generate revenue and increase audience engagement. 

The placements offer video advertisers a brand-safe environment to reach relevant consumers, and give NBC Sports the ability to recommend and promote its own content and initiatives.

“Taboola has given us the opportunity to take a holistic approach to recommendations across our sites,” stated Wendy Bass, senior vice president of programming and rights management at NBC Sports. “Our strategic partnership with Taboola has been a revenue driver for us, and we look forward to keeping this relationship moving forward with their mid-article placements.”

Ad placements that appear mid-article, rather than at the end of the article, are increasingly visible to website visitors on publisher websites. The publisher can serve up the content and the video that performs well.

If a publisher wants to drive performance to another media site within its network, such as an ecommerce landing page or subscription service, it can use this mid-article advertising placement.

NBC Sports is using the placements in this interconnected way, and calls this a "revenue driver" for the company.

It means advertisers can surround messages with safe and premium editorial content, but no other ads. These controls are supported through integrations with IAS, Moat by Oracle Data Cloud, and other partnerships -- all to provide transparency and safety.