ComScore acquires Rentrak in pursuit of ‘comprehensive cross-platform measurement currency’ | M&M Global

ComScore acquires Rentrak in pursuit of ‘comprehensive cross-platform measurement currency’

ComScore has agreed a deal to acquire TV and movie analytics business Rentrak in a move it hopes will “redefine the future of measurement” and challenge market leader Nielsen.

rentrak comscore

The all-stock deal will see Rentrak become a wholly-owned subsidiary of internet measurement firm comScore.

The combined companies will be led by current comScore chief executive Serge Matta, with Rentrak’s vice chairman and CEO Bill Livek – a speaker at last week’s Festival of Media LatAm in Miami – becoming vice chairman and president.

Measurement is a hot topic in the media industry. Broadcasters are concerned that “outdated” techniques are undervaluing their inventory, while advertisers wish to piece together a more comprehensive view of campaign effectiveness across online and offline channels.

Earlier this year, WPP acquired a 20% stake in comScore, creating an alliance with its data investment management business Kantar, to try to “crack the code” of cross-media measurement.

By combining comScore’s internet capabilities with Rentrak’s strength in movie, video-on-demand and TV measurement, the ambition is to provide a “more complete picture” of the way people consume media today and in the future.

“Together we have an even more powerful ability to deliver what our clients and the media industry have long been asking for: a comprehensive cross-platform measurement currency that accounts for all the ways in which content is consumed, whether that happens on a desktop, mobile device, live or time-shifted TV, video on demand or through over-the-top devices,” said Matta.

Livek added: “Rentrak’s expertise in precisely measuring TV and movies, and comScore’s industry-leading digital measurement capabilities, are natural complements.

“Combined, our expertise and information assets will enable us to provide the industry with the most granular measurement solutions that reflect the ever-changing way that people are consuming content across platforms.”

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