It’s time to accept the fact that targeted ads are no longer restricted to your browser. Facebook is stuffing them inside your mobile apps, Apple might put them in your thermostat, and now The Washington Post is reporting that Comcast and NBC Universal are bringing targeted advertisements to your television. Much like the intelligent political ads that Dish and DirecTV announced earlier this week, the newly-minted NBCU+ service will “allow marketers to target groups of consumers that fit certain demographic and interest profiles.”
Larges families could see ads for SUVs, technophiles might see ads for computers and smartphones and I will probably end up seeing ads for video games and burgers, as those are my relevant to my interests. NBCU+ will build profiles by combining information they’ve already collected with data from third parties. If you’d rather your cable company not start broadcasting your interests to you in the form of targeted commercials, Comcast has provided instructions to opt out of “segmented advertising.”
