• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 18, 2013

In another bid to beef up its market intelligence, A&E Networks has announced a deal to license TV audience measurement data from Rentrak. The deal -- one of the highest-profile network groups to sign up for Rentrak's services to date -- gives A&E access to Rentrak's digital set-top ratings data, as well as the ability to integrate it with consumer product and purchasing data from Polk and MasterCard.

The deal follows A&E’s first-mover deal last spring, making it the first major TV networks group to license actual agency media-buying data from Standard Media Index.

A&E Ad Sales President Mel Berning stated that the Rentrak data will be used to “demonstrate our networks' audience value far beyond the traditional demographic measures,” a reference to the conventional sample-based ratings generated by Nielsen that are still the TV advertising marketplace&'s currency for making most deals.

The deal, meanwhile, is a huge vote of confidence for Nielsen rival Rentrak, which has deals with other TV networks, station groups and agencies.

A&E’s portfolio includes A&C, History, Lifetime, H2, Bio and Lifetime Movie Network.