Rentrak Reports Launch of Xbox 360 Stimulates Video Game Rentals

Rentrak Reports Launch of Xbox 360 Stimulates Video Game Rentals

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ:RENT), the originator of real-time home video and video game tracking and analysis by Home Video Essentials(TM), announced today that consumer spending on video game rentals surged during the week of Thanksgiving due in part to the release of Microsoft's hard drive-equipped Xbox 360.

Projected U.S. consumer spending on video game rentals rose (+) 44% during the week ending 11/27/05 from the previous week (week ending 11/20/05) from $17.0 million to $24.4 million.

"The U.S. video game rental market experienced its best week yet this year," said Brad Hackley, Vice President of Home Video Essentials at Rentrak. "While consumers are still waiting to get their hands on Xbox 360 consoles, current Xbox 360 owners contributed 3% to the weekly game revenue. This is a significant contribution considering 18 games were available at time of launch."

Top Renting Xbox 360 Games for the Week Ending 11/27/05 (USA)

Release
Rank Title Publisher Date Genre Rating

1 X360-Call Of Duty 2 Activision 11/15/05 Shooter T
2 X360-Need For Speed
Most Wanted Electronic Arts 11/15/05 Racing T
3 X360-Madden NFL 06 Electronic Arts 11/15/05 Sports E
4 X360-Perfect Dark Zero Microsoft 11/16/05 Shooter M
5 X360-Kameo: Elements
Of Power Microsoft 11/9/05 Action T
6 X360-NBA Live 06 Electronic Arts 11/15/05 Sports E
7 X360-Tiger Woods
PGA Tour 06 Electronic Arts 11/15/05 Sports E
8 X360-GUN Activision 11/15/05 Shooter M
9 X360-Project Gotham
Racing 3 Microsoft 11/14/05 Racing E10+
10 X360-Peter Jackson's
King Kong Ubisoft 11/21/05 Action T

Source: Rentrak Home Video Essentials(TM)

For more information on video game rental market tracking and Home Video Essentials(TM), logon to: http://www.rentrak.com/es_homevideo.php or contact HVEeMedia@rentrak.com.

About Home Video Essentials(TM)

Home Video Essentials(TM) Industry Data Service, part of Rentrak's Entertainment Essentials(TM) suite of web-based information management and business intelligence products, is Rentrak's exclusive point-of-sale (POS) tracking system which measures weekly national consumer spending and title-level performance via rental transactions on over 40,000 DVD, VHS, and video game properties in both brick-and-mortar and online channels across North America.

About Rentrak Corporation

Rentrak Corporation, based in Portland, Oregon, is an information management company serving clients in the media, entertainment, retail, advertising and manufacturing industries. The company's near-term focus centers on its Entertainment Essentials(TM) suite of services that is redefining media measurement in the digital broadband era. Entertainment Essentials provides customers with near-real-time, actionable insight into performance of content distributed over a wide variety of modern media technologies. Available by license or subscription, each ASP-based Entertainment Essentials application allows executives to analyze detailed industry-wide and title-specific data to make decisions that enhance the bottom line and provide competitive advantage. For further information, please visit Rentrak's corporate Web site at http://www.rentrak.com/

NOTE: Xbox 360 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Source: Rentrak Corporation

CONTACT: Sallie Olmsted/Susan Yin, +1-310-854-8124/8145, or
solmsted/syin@rogersandcowan.com, both of Rogers & Cowan, for Rentrak

Web site: http://www.rentrak.com/

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