In the Streaming Era, Mark Marshall Says Broadcast Still Delivers What Advertisers Want

NBCUniversal’s Mark Marshall joins L.A. Times Studios' Faith Pinnow to discuss the return of the NBA on NBC, the power of live programming, and the future of advertising in the streaming era.

May 07, 2026

Mark Marshall On How 'Old School' Broadcast Moments Are Winning Ad Sales

NBC is turning 100 this year, and while the media landscape has evolved, the network is doubling down on the power of live, large-scale cultural moments.

Ahead of NBCUniversal's annual Upfront on May 11, Chairman of Global Advertising & Partnerships Mark Marshall sat down with L.A. Times Studios' Faith Pinnow to discuss the NBA's return to NBC, women's sports, and why he believes premium live programming remains one of the most powerful drivers of attention in media.

Marshall is quick to point out that NBC did not spend its first 100 years relying on the past. From pioneering radio to streaming the Olympics live in their entirety, the network has built its reputation on being the first to market with new technologies and storytelling innovations.

The first ad that ever ran was on NBC. The first Super Bowl, first baseball game, the first World Cup, all happened on NBC. We've never existed without advertising. Advertising has always been the ethos of what we are, so when we launched Peacock we said we were going to have AVOD in our first streaming service. People were saying why would you go with advertising? Everyone's going the other way. Well, eventually everyone came back to that dual revenue stream of subscriptions and advertising.

– Mark Marshall

In many ways, this unprecedented moment in media is familiar territory for NBCUniversal, as the company has continually reinvented itself across generations, evolving alongside audiences, technology, and culture while consistently looking ahead to what's next.

It's familiar territory for Marshall as well. Raised in a family with deep roots in advertising, he brings a lifetime of industry perspective as he helps navigate NBCUniversal through one of the most fragmented and competitive eras in television history.

There's nothing we do that doesn't take into consideration our two constituencies, our viewers and our advertisers. When we launched Peacock, we launched it with only one minute breaks, and there's a clock up there that lets you know, [there are also] pause ads, ads that actually are interactive… advertising doesn't have to be a distraction and becomes part of the experience.

– Mark Marshall

Seventy percent of NBCUniversal's programming is live, and as viewers and advertisers increasingly recognize the power of real-time events, the company is taking full advantage of its ability to synergize between live and streaming, to amplify viewership and drive ad value across its across its Media, News, Studios, and Destinations & Experiences divisions.

Built to serve both viewers and advertisers, NBCUniversal's mix of storytelling, live programming, and its long history of innovation continues to shape how the company charts a course through today's evolving media landscape.