• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Joining the agentic AI race from a live sports TV network/seller perspective, NBCUniversal has struck a deal with West Coast-based media agency RPA, along with Newton Research, to start what it says is the first of its kind agentic-to-agentic AI connections to make premium video cross-platform linear and digital deals.

Newton, NBCUniversal and FreeWheel's agentic AI agents will team together to make cross-platform video deals in real-time across NBCUniversal’s linear TV and streaming inventory.

NBCU and its sister company, FreeWheel -- the Comcast-owned ad server/technology company -- will offer sell-side agentic AI efforts. Newton Research will design and start up buy-side agents with RPA.

RPA believes these agentic-to-agentic efficiencies will streamline many manual processes.

“This partnership illustrates the potential of agentic AI to hyper-streamline strategic media intelligence and transactions in service of business outcomes,” said Jim Helberg, CEO, RPA in a release.

The companies involved say this is the first time AI agents are automating live sports inventory on linear television.

Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising/partnerships at NBCUniversal, expects “agentic AI collaboration to further automate the way inventory is bought and sold.”

The deal will start up in the first quarter of 2026 and will include ad placements in live football playoff games for RPA brands.

The media agency did not disclose the advertisers involved in these initial deals.