Google is to begin selling advertisements on some of NBC Universal's cable networks.

NBC Universal said yesterday that Google would be allowed to sell adverts on some of its cable channels, such as MSNBC, Oxygen and the Sci Fi network. The partnership may be extended later to other NBC Universal properties.

The agreement comes more than a year after Google reached its first deal to broker television adverts on behalf of DISH Network, an American satellite TV company.

Mike Pilot, president of NBC Universal sales, said that the arrangement with Google would “attract an entirely new group of clients to television advertising”. NBC Universal said that it would gain access to the large base of advertisers using Google's AdWords online advertising program, most of whom do not advertise on television. The two companies will share in all advertising revenue and explore ways of expanding the partnership in the future.

The deal illustrates the desire of both to gather more data on which television adverts are most popular among viewers and how to find those people. The companies have also agreed to tailor the Google TV Ads platform for local markets and to collaborate on the development of new technology.

Google said that through its partnership with DISH Network, the Google TV Ads platform could report second-by-second data from set-top boxes. This allows advertisers to measure viewing figures more precisely and, as a result, target future advertising campaigns with greater accuracy.

The news of the television deal comes days after speculation emerged that the US Department of Justice was considering blocking Google's search agreement with Yahoo!. The department has hired Sanford Litvack, the former Walt Disney vice-chairman who is one of America's best-known lawyers, for a possible anti-trust challenge to Google's growing power in advertising.

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