Why TV Wins: New Comcast Research Shows TV Multiplies Ad Recall, Engagement, and Action

New “TV Makes Memories” research shows TV supercharges search, social, and audio—driving up to 8.7× higher ad recall and stronger lower‑funnel results when combined.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Advertising, the advertising division of Comcast, today released new findings from its latest TV Makes Memories research, demonstrating TV‘s role as a full‑funnel driver of performance—and the engine that makes every other advertising channel work harder.

The research shows that TV across traditional and streaming not only builds strong awareness, it creates durable brand memory that directly fuels consumer action.

According to the study, brand recall increases when TV is part of the media mix compared to standalone channel efforts. Recall rises 8.7X when TV is paired with search, 1.8X with social media, and 1.6X with podcasts.

“It’s one thing to capture attention, it’s another thing to create a memory that elevates engagement. TV does both of these things better than any other medium," says Dawn Lee Williamson, Chief Revenue Officer, Media Solutions at Comcast Advertising. “That credibility is what powers the entire funnel and transforms awareness into trust and trust into business outcomes.”

That lift in memory translates into a measurable downstream impact. When TV is added to the mix:

• TV Drives Site Visits - Likelihood of a website visit increases by 110% when TV is paired with social
• TV boosts brand discussion - Likelihood of brand discussion increases by 119% when TV is paired with search
• TV elevates audio streaming impact - Likelihood of seeking more information jumps 207% when TV is paired with audio, the largest lift across channels

These findings reinforce TV’s unique ability to establish credibility and memory at the top of the funnel—driving stronger engagement, consideration, and action throughout the customer journey.

Why TV Matters More in the Age of AI
As AI reshapes search and digital discovery, brands face a growing challenge: how to stand out in a cluttered and increasingly automated environment. The study found that brand recall drops by 23% in search with AI summaries compared to traditional search experiences.

By establishing an initial brand memory, TV significantly improves recall when paired with search and other digital channels. With TV, brands can become familiar, trusted, and top of mind when it matters most.

Findings from TV Makes Memories highlight TV’s continued role as the strategic anchor of modern media plans in an increasingly fragmented and automated marketplace. By establishing strong memory foundations through TV, brands can improve effectiveness and amplify performance across the broader digital ecosystem.

About Comcast Advertising
Comcast Advertising is the advertising division of Comcast. As a global leader in media, technology and advertising, the company fosters powerful connections between brands and their audiences as well as among publishers, distributors, MVPDs, agencies and other industry players. Comcast Advertising's Media Solutions team provides a streamlined way for advertisers to build brand relevancy and sustainable business outcomes through multiscreen TV advertising campaigns—powered by the media, data and technology assets of Comcast. FreeWheel, its media and technology arm, provides the technology, data enablement and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, data types and sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal—results for marketers. And, Comcast Advertising’s Universal Ads enables brands of any size to seamlessly create, buy, and measure ads across premium video directly from top publishers with no fees. Comcast Advertising, along with NBCUniversal and Sky, is part of the Comcast Corporation.