• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 24, 2010

In a week where Nielsen acknowledged the importance of set-top-box (STB) data in an opening presentation at an annual research conference, some news about the potentially transformative data continued to flow. TRA, which is attempting to provide a single-source product, said MTV Networks has joined the list of clients using its STB service.

The TRA system gathers second-by-second data from multiple MSOs and TiVo and then melds it with shopping-card data, looking to offer that elusive link between ad viewing and the cash register. A sample of 370,000 homes is used.

Nielsen and Catalina Marketing have a joint venture also aimed at providing the advertiser-coveted single source. That offering does not use STB data, but looks to go a step further and link how TV and online usage impacts purchasing of consumer packaged-goods.

Other TRA clients include CBS and Starcom MediaVest. Starcom said Wednesday it has a deal with Rentrak to use its STB data, which is not a single-source system.

"A powerful tool ... to help marketers laser-target their consumers across our channels," stated MTV Networks research head Colleen Fahey Rush about TRA's product.

TRA investors include WPP and Arbitron.