Media measurement firm Rentrak Corporation has reached
an agreement with pay-TV operator Dish Network to
commercially integrate TV viewing data from Dish's set-tops with Rentrak's TV
Essentials audience measurement service. Rentrak says that combining data from
Dish, which has 13.9 million subscribers, with its existing telco TV and cable
viewing information will now allow it to measure viewing on over 15 million
televisions covering all 210 TV markets.
Rentrak, which already has an entrenched
business in measuring video-on-demand viewing for cable operators, has been
expanding its measurement initiatives in the past few years into linear TV and
mobile video as well as movie box office sales. The Portland, Ore.-based
company said the Dish deal is a significant boost as it competes in measuring
digital set-top data with firms such as Nielsen and Kantar Media (formerly
TNS).
"With the addition of Dish Network to TV
Essentials' databases, Rentrak has fulfilled its vision of providing a national
footprint as a foundation to overlay advertisers' definition of their customers
to detailed TV viewing from digital set devices," said Bill Livek, CEO of
Rentrak, in a statement.
Dish said the deal with Rentrak will help
it deliver more relevant commercials to its viewers and should have a broad
impact on television advertising.
"Rentrak's TV Essentials product, fueled by Dish
Network's comprehensive set-top box data, is the most meaningful and credible
viewer measurement offering, and will positively influence the future of
television and advanced advertising," said Michael Kelly, executive vice
president of Direct, Commercial and Advertising Sales for Dish, in a statement.
