Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said the cable industry is on the verge of naming a CEO for Project Canoe, an effort to standardize interactive advertising among cable operators.
Mr. Roberts made the statement during a general session at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s annual convention in New Orleans.
Afterwards, .Mr Roberts said he had been premature and declined to say who that CEO would be.
“I might be a little ahead of myself,” he said.
Published reports have named top media agency executive David Verklin, who recently announced he was leaving Aegis Americas, as likely to take the post.
At a press conference after the general session, Mr. Roberts said the industry needs to get organized and that hiring a chief.executive is a key first step.
Creating a platform for addressible ads is a “big opportunity we’re focused on,” he said.
Marketers and ad buyers consider being able to send specific video ads to targeted customers a huge opportunity. That is not possible now because different cable operators use different metrics and technolgies, making it difficult to create large-scale campaigns.