The network is 100 years old. The commercials, however, are new.
\n\nNBCUniversal is trying to expand the sponsorship model it used for the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” in 2025 and customize it for its coming celebration of a century of its flagship broadcast network. If sponsors like it, the company will have a tested system of garnering ad support that it can tap as it continues to seek out tentpole events, including, potentially, the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and the 75th anniversary of “The Tonight Show” in 2029, to win the big audiences advertisers continue to demand from broadcast, even in the streaming era.
\n\n“Clients are not asking for more places to put their messaging,” says Alison Levin, a president at NBCUniversal’s ad sales and partnerships unit, during a recent interview. “They are looking for meaningful ways to show up when audiences are engaged.”
\n\nAllstate, Capital One, Purina Dog Chow, Smucker’s, Volkswagen and Xfinity have all signed up to sponsor the event, which will air as a three-hour special on December 10 and feature a litany of celebrities and famous figures, all at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
\n\nThe sponsors don’t have to wait to get…
Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/