• by Wayne Friedman , August 12, 2009

TNS Media Research and TV program guide company Rovi Corp. will enter into a joint venture to develop interactive and set-top box measurement systems.

For years, Rovi (formerly Macrovision) has been a dominant player in program guide software for cable operators and TV set manufacturers. Some of its latest guides involve interactive program guides (IPG), where consumers can click and respond to specific messages.

Says George Shababb, president of TNS Media Research North America, in a release: "It's no longer just about reach and ratings, but about gaining true insight into the habits of the audience."

TNS Media Research already uses interactive TV data, "return path data," in its DirectView application, as well as from its joint venture with Charter cable systems in Los Angeles.

According to the companies, Rovi's IPG advertising technology has access into 50 million homes worldwide and 25 million homes in North America. Rovi says 80% of its TV homes say they can't watch TV without the guide; 74% use the guide as soon as they turn on their TV.

So far, Rovi said it signed major cable operators in five of the top 10 markets, and a dozen markets overall. In regard to privacy issues, Rovi says its data is reported on an anonymous, aggregated basis "that does not contain personally identifiable information."