NBCUniversal launches a unified shopping cart for ads across television and digital properties
- The effort comes just a week after NBCU announced an early preview of its Peacock streaming service.
- The Checkout product will work with ShoppableTV ads on NBCU programming, among other assets.
Comcast-owned NBCUniversal on Thursday unveiled technology that will enable consumers to buy products from branded articles, videos and specially designed television advertisements from retailers, without requiring them to go elsewhere.
The NBCU Checkout system is an effort to bring advertising growth by building on existing broadcast and digital properties, in addition to ramping up its ad-supported Peacock streaming service.
The system "grants any business — local or national, newly or originally direct-to-consumer — the ability to set up shop in one place and instantly reach nearly all Americans with a single integration," NBCU executive vice president Josh Feldman and vice president Evan Moore wrote in a blog post.
The launch follows NBCU's introduction last year of ShoppableTV, a means to purchase products shown on television by scanning a QR code with a smartphone. NBCU is waiving technology and cart fees for ShoppableTV and digital branded content for the Checkout push, Feldman and Moore said. Ads can also receive additional amplication on social media, they said.
NBCU launched an early preview of its streaming service, Peacock, which has begun to roll out first to Comcast Xfinity cable customers.
— CNBC's Julia Boorstin contributed to this report.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
WATCH: Comcast streaming service Peacock launches amid concerns over advertising demand