Rentrak Gains Customers for VOD Measurement

Media-measurement and business-intelligence firm Rentrak signed up eight cable operators as new customers for its OnDemand Essentials system, which tracks video-on-demand usage.

BendBroadband, Blue Ridge Cable, BuckEye CableSystem, EATEL, Entouch Communications, GVTC, Massillon Cable TV and MetroCast Cablevision will now use the Rentrak system, which already provides VOD-usage data to large operators such as Comcast, Charter Communications and Cablevision Systems.

With the new deals, Rentrak said it now provides usage data to 21 of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s top 25 cable operators that provide VOD service.

Rentrak’s roster of content providers totals more than 80 subscribers including studios and cable, broadcast networks and on-demand-only networks. The company processed more than 3.3 billion transactions from its operator partners in 2007, representing a 52% increase over the same period for 2006.

"Rentrak's OnDemand Essentials has greatly assisted Blue Ridge Cable in fulfilling its reporting obligations to our content providers,” general manager Mark Masenheimer said in a statement. “We are pleased with our partnership and look forward to using the service to take advantage of the opportunities that will continue to develop with on-demand."