The news: NBCUniversal (NBCU) debuted AI-powered ad features ahead of the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in 2026, giving advertisers the opportunity to leverage AI for better results in live TV and video-on-demand properties.

• The primary offering is a new Contextual Targeting in LIVE feature, a tool that scans live and on-demand content to ensure ads appear at relevant moments and align with the content viewers are seeing.
• A second tool, LIVE Total Impact, is built to capture real-time viewership around major live tentpole moments and carry that engagement across NBCUniversal’s broader ecosystem.
• NBCU debuted its proprietary intelligence platform Performance Insights Hub, which gives advertisers insights on campaign delivery, in-flight performance, and audiences.
• The company simultaneously introduced new ad units for streaming platform Peacock: Arrival ads, which gives brands the opportunity to show up on users’ profile page; Live-in-browse, which allows brands to appear in an on-screen experience on the Peacock home page when viewers scroll; and full-screen pause ads, giving advertisers access to appear in high-attention moments.

The trend: AI is beginning to fundamentally transform TV and video—and NBCU is jumping on the wagon.

• AI is turning into an asset that scans and contextualizes live TV content for brands to gain deeper insights into what viewers are watching—ensuring content discovery is intuitive and tailored to individual preferences.
• The offering goes beyond live programming to benefit advertisers in video-on-demand (VOD) and connected TV (CTV). Video advertisers are using AI for content creation (60%), creative performance analysis (43%), audience insights (42%), and dynamic creative optimization (40%), among other use cases, per Teads and MMA Global.
• CTV campaigns are gaining mature measurement and production capabilities by utilizing AI. Targeting and audience segmentation, often a CTV pain point, is improving as AI is used to analyze billions of data signals to improve targeting precision.
• Measurement in CTV improving as AI consolidates campaign data across platforms—ensuring holistic analysis and optimization for incremental reach.