Rentrak, Flo TV in Measurement Partnership for Multicast Mobile TV

Multiscreen media measurement and research company, Rentrak, announced Thursday that it has teamed with Qualcomm-owned live mobile TV service provider, Flo TV (available through Verizon and AT&T), to launch what the companies say is the mobile TV industry's first comprehensive viewership and advertising impression reporting using Rentrak's TV Essentials media measurement system. The companies say their collaboration will deliver reporting that will serve as the currency for ad sales on Flo TV and provide deeper insights into Flo TV audience viewing patterns, while not divulging individual subscribers' personal information.

According to the companies, Rentrak's TV Essentials reporting system will allow Flo TV to provide ongoing reports to content providers and advertisers, in order to assist their programming and media-buying decisions. "This is a significant milestone for Flo TV and also for the mobile multicast TV category," Flo TV's SVP of programming and advertising, Jonathan Barzilay, said in a prepared statement. "Mobile TV is quickly becoming a vital platform for consumers. With our new impression reporting from Rentrak, Flo TV can provide relevant viewership information to advertisers and content partners swiftly and reliably." Added Rentrak's president and chief strategy officer, interactive TV-industry veteran, Ken Papagan: "The mobile space is particularly opportunistic as a result of devices being connected to a unique viewer, enabling a highly targetable new advertising marketplace. We are very excited about our collaboration with Flo TV because it leverages the considerable development Rentrak has put into the TV Essentials system and expands the value of our service for conventional linear television to include the mobile platform."

Rentrak and Flo TV say that they are currently in the integration phase and are planning to share impression data with their programming partners later this year.

In other Rentrak news: The company said Friday that it has appointed Richard Hochhauser and Anne MacDonald to its board of directors. Hochhauser is an adjunct professor at NYU and a member of the board of John Wiley & Sons and the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation. He was previously president and CEO of Harte-Hanks, where, Rentrak says, during his 33-year tenure he was responsible for building the company's direct marketing business. He also serves on the boards of four non-profits: The Jewish Museum, City at Peace, Day One and Reach the World. MacDonald, meanwhile, is EVP and chief marketing officer at The Travelers Insurance, where she is responsible for the company's marketing, brand management and advertising strategy. She previously worked as a partner with The Rockefeller Consulting Group and, prior to that, served as president and chief marketing officer of Macy's, and as chief marketing officer for Citigroup's consumer division.