NBCU Invests in and Partners with Gaming Ad Firm Anzu

US broadcasting group NBCUniversal has announced a partnership with in-game ad platform Anzu.io, in which it has also made a 'small' investment.

Anzu integrates real-world brand ads into video gaming and esports gameplay, and already has measurement and targeting partnerships with the likes of Comscore, Kantar, Nielsen and WPP. Its offer for real-time analytics includes ad viewability, brand lift measurement, audience verification, data enrichment and fraud detection.

NBCUniversal says the new arrangement will enrich its capabilities in growing entertainment areas like gaming and esports, and offer a range of new opportunities for its clients and partners around the world. NBCU becomes Anzu's global sales partner and the exclusive third-party seller in the US and UK, and its clients can now run 'non-intrusive' in-game ads across Anzu's cross-platform gaming inventory, adhering to the standards of privacy and brand safety of NBCUniversal's One Platform. They will also have access to the full range of Anzu's analytics.

Krishan Bhatia, President & Chief Business Officer at NBCUniversal, comments: 'This partnership with Anzu will allow our marketers to engage with an audience of over three billion gamers worldwide, and we're only getting started'. Itamar Benedy (pictured), co-Founder & CEO of Anzu, adds: 'This new partnership means more brands and agencies will be able to take advantage of our solution to reach an engaged and untapped audience within the world's most popular titles while preserving the gamer experience. We also believe, over the next few years, most Fortune 500 brands will incorporate gaming into their ad strategies and the partnership with NBCUniversal brings us a step closer to this becoming a reality'.

Web sites: www.anzu.io and www.nbcuni.com .