ASI Entertainment, a major TV research company, has been acquired by Screen Engine.
Screen Engine will continue to focus on film-related research, while Screen Engine/ASI will work with the TV and advertising industries. ASI principals Beverly Bolotin and Elliot Rosenberg will remain with the company, Screen Engine said.
ASI was a pioneer in TV programming research employing dial testing to gauge whether viewers liked shows. The company now has state-of-the-art focus-group facilities and high-definition screening rooms equipped with dials.
“ASI wrote the playbook on television program testing. It is a great honor to be entrusted to uphold the brand legacy of a company I’ve so long admired. This will be a game changer for all of us and especially for our clients,” Screen Engine founder and CEO Kevin Goetz said in statement. “Our hope is that we become true industry disrupters as we fuse the innovative products that our two companies have built to form the industry’s ‘go-to’ firm for all media and entertainment needs.”
ASI is 50 years old and has conducted research for numerous broadcast and cable networks, doing pilot and program tests for sitcoms, dramas, children’s programming, documentaries, newscasts and reality shows.
“Part of what attracted us was the ability to work with [Screen Engine’s] cutting edge tools and best in class solutions that will undoubtedly propel Screen Engine/ASI forward at an accelerated rate," said Rosenberg, now senior VP, Screen Engine/ASI.
