• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, May 24, 2007

Media-measurement company Rentrak is participating in a trial to gain insight into mobile TV use in the Las Vegas DMA this summer.

The test with Hiwire, a wireless network backbone provider, aims to yield an industry standard for gauging mobile TV consumption, both for programming and advertising.

Rentrak, based in Portland, Oregon, will use anonymous data generated by Hiwire and offer the results up via an Internet-based service, known as Mobile TV Essentials. According to the company it aims to provide "transaction-based measurement tools that will span every method of television, film and advertising content distribution," said Ken Papagan, Rentrak's president and chief strategy officer.

Scott Wills, president-COO of Hiwire, said the test will allow programmers to have "their own customized tracking dashboard to monitor their individual network's ongoing viewership results on a near real-time basis."

Unnamed networks' content will be included in the trial, which will also cover a variety of handheld devices.