The growth of relationships between grocers, tech firms, and media entertainment companies continued on Monday with the announcement that Instacart is working with NBCUniversal to bring product ads to its streaming service.
The San Francisco-based last-mile delivery company said in a press release that the collaboration will enable advertisers to reach customers through NBCUniversal’s online platform.
The new service, which is expected to launch in the second quarter, will enable advertisers to measure the success of their campaigns “by leveraging ad exposure and purchase data.”
Tim Castelli, vice president of global advertising sales at Instacart, said Instacart’s first-party audience data can prove an ad campaign’s efficacy. “Consumers can see a CPG’s ad on streaming and get that product delivered to them via Instacart in as fast as an hour — it’s a win-win for both consumers and brands.”
“Advertisers are increasingly prioritizing strategic audiences, and with this partnership, CPG brands will be able to engage the next generation of grocery shoppers in a highly engaging environment,” said NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships President Alison Levin in the press release. “We will be leveraging NBCUniversal’s full portfolio and market-leading daily reach, combined with Instacart’s measurement and data capabilities, to drive results for marketers.”
The new service builds on Instacart’s partnership with NBCUniversal, launched in late November, offering Instacart+ members free access to NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service.
Instacart+ members pay $99 a year or $9.99 a month for lower service fees, 5% back on some pickup orders, and free delivery on orders over $35, among other perks.
The announcement comes less than a week after news broke that Kroger is in talks with Disney to offer the entertainment company’s Disney+ streaming service to those enrolled in Kroger Boost, the grocer’s loyalty program.
Talks between those two companies could not be confirmed through Kroger or Disney, but the story from Bloomberg based its reporting on interviews with unnamed sources.
The Instacart/NBCUniversal deal comes about a year and a half after Walmart partnered with Paramount in 2022 to include free subscriptions to the Paramount+ streaming service for members of its Walmart+ loyalty program.
