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   (FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 10/5/15) 

NBCUniversal to Sell

Ads on YouTube

NBCUniversal has reached a deal with Google Inc. to sell ads for the first time alongside the media company's videos on YouTube.

This will mark the first time that ads will accompany clips from NBC's "The Tonight Show," which has become a viral sensation ever since Jimmy Fallon became the show's host in early 2014. NBCU will sell the ads itself.

Like other media companies, NBCU had refrained from selling ads on YouTube over the past few years. YouTube's standard ad revenue terms give YouTube a 45% cut of the ad revenue and media partners the remaining 55%.

NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp., and Google declined to discuss any specifics about the ad revenue terms. But a person familiar with the deal said NBCU agreed to the standard ad revenue split with Google.

The new YouTube-NBCU deal includes selling ads on everything from clips of E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," to USA's "Mr. Robot" and NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers."

-- Mike Shields

Media World Welcomes

ComScore-Rentrak Deal

Media and advertising executives are hoping the merger of audience measurement companies comScore Inc. and Rentrak Corp. will create a viable rival to ratings juggernaut Nielsen as the industry grapples with fast-changing viewership habits.

"We are happy to have at least two major players trying to build a better mouse trap given the hurdles we face with measurement," said Brian Hughes, senior vice president of audience analysis at Magna Global, an ad-buying unit of Interpublic Group.

The reaction from media experts typifies the industry's hunger for more sophisticated measurement that can track ads and content across traditional TV and digital devices ranging from smartphones to gaming consoles.

ComScore is a specialist in digital measurement, while Rentrak is known for measuring TV through set-top box data. Nielsen, which draws its data largely from a panel of more than 25,000 U.S. households, has said it plans to introduce a "total audience" measurement system that it says will capture viewing across platforms.

-- Steven Perlberg and Suzanne Vranica

Horror Producer Tries

Branded Content

One of Hollywood's most successful horror producers is taking his brand online, both for himself and sponsors.

Blumhouse Productions, best known for "Paranormal Activity," "The Purge" and recent hit "The Visit," last week launched a new version of its website, blumhouse.com, featuring original news, lists and video content. Producer Jason Blum said the site will be aimed at people who are interested in "scary" content, rather than the more hard-core horror audience.

Mr. Blum also has signed a pact with Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, where he also has film and television production deals, to team up on producing branded digital video content for advertisers, which may appear on blumhouse.com as well as other platforms.

-- Ben Fritz

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 04, 2015 19:06 ET (23:06 GMT)

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