• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, 2 hours ago

Comcast Advertising on Tuesday released its TV Makes Memories 2026 report with new insights that demonstrate TV’s role as a full-funnel driver of performance and its impact on other ad channels.

Brand recall increases when TV is part of the media mix compared with stand-alone channel efforts, according to the data. Recall rises 8.7X when TV is paired with search, 1.8X with social media, and 1.6X with podcasts.

The research shows that TV across traditional and streaming builds strong awareness and creates durable brand memory that directly fuels consumer action.  

The study suggests that when TV is added to a search ad, it drives a higher increase in unaided brand recall and action than two search ads alone. 

When it comes to search, AI summaries compete for consumer attention. The data suggests that AI crowds and pushes out brand messaging and weakens brand memory when compared with traditional search experiences. 

The report provides tips that advertisers can use to drive brand outcomes using CTV and search, but does not yet provide specific outcomes. The company is still working to reinvent the way it supports brands. 

Comcast’s advertising unit recently overhauled the way brands buy television spots, deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and a new partnership with Amazon to capture more local marketing spend.

The company’s platform -- "Outcomes+" -- debuted at the IAB NewFronts in New York last week with many early adopters, including BMW AG’s MINI USA.

The suite aims to solve a long-standing challenge for global brands, including matching broad national messages with specific local dealerships or retail offers across both traditional "linear" TV and streaming services.

A deal with Amazon Ads is a critical component of the rollout. It gives Comcast’s local and small-business customers access to Prime Video’s ad-supported reach — estimated at 200 million monthly viewers in the U.S.

By using the Amazon DSP, advertisers can now trigger location-specific pricing or regional offers within a single national buy.

Comcast is leaning into AI-driven automation to differentiate the company in an increasingly crowded ad-tech market. A discovery engine called LENS identifies "incremental" audiences — viewers who have not seen a brand's ads or are currently only seeing competitors' spots — while a "Proposal Assistant" automates the creation of custom media schedules.

The strategy appears to yield early performance success. In a recent campaign, MINI USA used the tools to sequence "addressable" ads to specific households, resulting in a 300% surge in brand favorability and a 35% lift in sales conversions at participating dealers.

To prove that these ads actually lead to purchases, Comcast has integrated "closed-loop" tracking through partnerships with Mastercard Inc., Sojern, and S&P Global Mobility’s Polk. This allows marketers to link a streaming ad directly to a car sale, a hotel booking, or a credit card transaction.

The inventory -- accessible through Outcomes+ -- now spans a massive swath of the streaming landscape including NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney-backed platforms, alongside Comcast’s own Peacock and Xumo Play.

Amazon partnership impacts Comcast’s SMB revenue projections. By unlocking Prime Video for its local and SMB clients, Comcast taps into a premium inventory pool that was previously out of reach for a typical local plumber or regional car dealership.

Analysts see three primary levers for SMB revenue growth including premium inventory, closed loop success, and operational efficiency.