Rentrak Strikes Measurement Deal With DISH

Will provide big boost to set-top data

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/8/2010 4:31:14 PM

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.