NBC Hopes ‘Night Court’ Ad Model Will Preside Over Linear and Digital Dollars During TV Upfront

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor “Night Court,” the NBC sitcom that was recently rebooted, enjoyed its heyday after its debut on NBC’s Thursday-night schedule in 1984.

But NBCUniversal is hoping the retooled comedy will lead Madison Avenue into the future. When the original program launched, built around star Harry Anderson as a non-traditional metropolitan judge, NBC sold ads against the debut broadcast of each episode as well as a rerun later in the season.

Now, says Mark Marshall, the executive recently given wider oversight over NBCUniversal’s national ad sales, the company is selling broad-reach ads attached to the linear debut of each episode as well as targeted advertising that appears adjacent to the series when it streams on Peacock. “You have this big premiere on broadcast and then streaming takes over,” Marshall tells Variety. “On the day it launched, we had 5.6 million people watch it, and then over the next seven days, another 5.7 million.

Over half of its viewing in its first week came from delayed viewing, and I don’t remember any show that we’ve had that looked like this over the course of a week.” While the series’ ratings have ebbed as it moves deeper into its season, “Night Court” may be emblematic of the new ways in which TV networks are pitching their programs to advertisers.