Versant, Comcast’s planned cable spin-off entity, has struck a two-year ad sales agreement with corporate cousin NBCUniversal. Under the pact, which will cover the next two upfront cycles, NBCU will handle sales under its One Platform banner.

NBCUniversal on Wednesday announced it will sell ads for Versant, the new name for Comcast's spinoff of most of its cable networks including USA, CNBC and MSNBC. Why it matters: The deal allows Versant to focus on programming and product while outsourcing ads to NBCU,