• by Wayne Friedman , December 29, 2011

Rentrak continues its move into TV stations' efforts to find viewership measurement alternatives -- now expanding significantly into more Raycom TV outlets.

After signing up Rentrak in the Raycom stations in two markets -- Charlotte and Birmingham -- in 2010, the TV measurement company announced a broader expansion across the group's stations in 17 markets. Raycom Media owns and/or operates 46 television stations in 37 markets and 18 states, covering 13% of U.S. TV homes.

The deal is for Rentrak's mainstay StationView Essentials, a census-based television ratings currency that provides daily measurement of all TV networks nationally and at a granular level in all 210 media markets nationwide. Rentrak gleans and analyzes viewership data of satellite, telco and cable TV data commercially from over 19 million televisions.

Paul McTear, president and chief executive officer of Raycom Media, the Montgomery, Ala.-based TV company, stated: "We believe Rentrak's measurement can change the way our industry does business because there are significant advantages for both buyers and sellers of ad time. We need to take the focus from measurement issues and put it back on the efficiency and effectiveness of local television."

The deal includes the integration of the Polk Automotive and Political Segmentation information with Rentrak's household and advanced Demographics Ratings to provide insights into viewers' consumer purchasing information, in addition to gross ratings points in these key categories.

Rentrak now has 113 TV stations nationwide, and 27 station groups in 59 local TV markets. All this gives the company a stronger profile in being an alternative rating service to Nielsen, according to one Wall Street media analyst.

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