Borow, who helped launch Universal Ads, will oversee the ad buying platform as it heads into its second year and next phase of growth.
Comcast Advertising announced it named James Borow as General Manager of Universal Ads, which enables brands of any size to create, buy and measure ads across premium video. In this role, Borow will lead strategy, operations and execution of the self-service ad buying platform as it continues to evolve and scale. As the previous Vice President of Product Management and Engineering for Universal Ads, he played a key role in bringing the platform to life, from product development to launch.
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“Universal Ads has built a strong foundation in its first year—the pace and quality of execution have been incredible,” said James Rooke, President, Comcast Advertising. “As such, many ecommerce and social-first advertisers were able to reach audiences on TV for the first time, with exceptional return on ad spend thanks to the performance power of premium video. As we enter year two, James is the ideal person to take the helm, applying his insights and learnings from big tech to Universal Ads as we continue our journey to make TV advertising simple to buy, just like social.”
Borow has more than 15 years of experience in building performance-driven advertising products and partnerships. Previously, he served as Global Director of Product Strategy, Go-to-Market, and Partnerships at Snap Inc., where he helped scale the company’s advertising business from zero to over $1 billion in revenue. He is a two-time exited founder of Market AI and SHIFT and has served as an advisor to a variety of category-defining advertising and technology platforms, including Discord, Grab, and Reddit.
“I’ve been fortunate to work alongside this team from the beginning, and I’m excited to lead what comes next for Universal Ads,” said James Borow, General Manager, Universal Ads. “In the year ahead, we’ll keep expanding the ecosystem and lowering the barriers to entry, including unlocking premium moments like the Olympics in ways that make it easier for all brands to participate, measure impact and keep investing.”
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As GM, Borow will join Rooke’s Executive Leadership Team, underscoring the strategic importance of Universal Ads within Comcast Advertising’s growth plan and strengthening integration across the broader Comcast, including FreeWheel and NBCUniversal. For instance, Universal Ads just served as the first-ever, exclusive ads manager for NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Milan Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
This milestone also marks a year since the launch of Universal Ads. Over the past 12 months, the team has expanded the publisher ecosystem, advanced product capabilities across creation, buying and measurement, and brought new partners into the platform to increase access to premium video for performance-minded advertisers.
