Dive Brief: 

• NBCUniversal has launched NBCU+ Powered by Comcast, a platform designed to push targeted ads to video-on-demand users. 
• The platform offers clients insights from subscriber set-top box data, allowing them to optimize national campaigns across the NBCU linear TV portfolio. 
• The practice draws into question some viewer privacy concerns, but Comcast Group VP Andrew Ward says data is anonymized and viewers are given the option to opt-out. 

Dive Insight: 

NBCU's wealth of data makes it an ideal candidate to deliver the type of targeted video ads that this new platform will provide. Partnered with other third-party data firms, NBCU can now offer analytics and ROI that hasn't been previously available from other video ad platforms. This could start an uptick in advertisers who have been interested in TV ads, but wanted more return and insight into their investment in the age of DVR and on-demand viewing.