Zee TV Taps Rentrak as Audience Research Provider

PORTLAND, Ore., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rentrak Corporation (Nasdaq: RENT), the leader in multi-screen media measurement serving the advertising and entertainment industries, today announced a television measurement agreement with Zee TV, the number-one television network in the South Asian entertainment space. Zee TV will use Rentrak's industry-leading TV Essentials television measurement service to generate a more precise picture of its audience's viewing habits—a tool that will ultimately help the network assess and fine tune its programming to better serve its viewers' entertainment needs.

Since its launch in the United States in July 1998, Zee TV has grown to reach more than 2 million viewers, offering a mix of programming from India, Pakistan and the UK designed to appeal to a wide-ranging audience of South Asians living in the United States.

"We are very excited to utilize Rentrak's TV Essentials," says Subroto Bhattacharya, Zee TV's Country Head for the Americas. "This partnership signifies not only our long-standing reputation and commitment to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the South Asian diaspora, but also our strategic approach to create fresh, entertaining and socially relevant programming that resonates with our viewers. Rentrak's far-reaching viewing habit data collected from millions of televisions will enable the network to step up its game a notch further for its ever-growing audience."

"We're proud to add Zee TV to our exceptional roster of clients," said Carol Hinnant, Rentrak's Senior Vice President of business development, Advanced Media. "We feel confident that the TV Essentials TV currency will provide Zee TV with not only a bigger picture view, but also a microscopic view of its core audience based on the viewing habits extracted from millions of digital televisions nationwide."

In Q1 2010, viewers watched more than 10.2 million hours (3.4 million hours per month) of International programming. Zee TV was responsible for more than 8% of that viewing.

About TV Essentials

Rentrak's TV Essentials is a comprehensive suite of research tools that enable customers to analyze anonymous audience viewing of programming and advertising across VOD, DVR, interactive and linear television. Utilizing proprietary technology to process massive amounts of click-stream data, the TV Essentials system is able to aggregate and report second-by-second information from millions of digital set-top boxes nationwide. The system can isolate individual market, network, series, or telecast performance, administer national and local estimates, and provide an evaluation of influencing factors such as psychographics and demographics.

About Zee TV

Zee TV – the name that has become synonymous with unparalleled quality in entertainment – has been a dominant player in broadcasting content for more than 17 years in the national and international space. As an Indian channel, Zee TV is committed to supporting the values and traditions that appeal to South Asians across the globe.

In July 1998, Zee TV expanded its presence in the international space by establishing itself as a mainstay in American households, reaching more than 2 million viewers. As the undisputed leader in the market for over 11 years, Zee TV has successfully evolved its content to meet the changing needs of the market across genres and languages. The network caters to a wide audience with a growing number of channels, including Zee Cinema, Zee Sports and Alpha ETC Punjabi.

About Rentrak Corporation

Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ: RENT) is a global digital media measurement and research company, serving the most recognizable companies in the entertainment industry. With a reach across numerous platforms including box office, home entertainment, on-demand and linear television, broadband and mobile, Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional offices worldwide in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. For more information on any of Rentrak's services, please visit www.rentrak.com.

SOURCE Rentrak Corporation