Rentrak Announces Insights From Their Latest Research Report

Rentrak Announces Insights From Their Latest Research Report

--TV Database Measurement Company's Granular Data and Analytics are a Win for Local Stations--

PORTLAND, Ore., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ: RENT), the leader in multi-screen media measurement serving the advertising, television and entertainment industries, today announced research findings regarding the flow of interest in news events from the national into the local level.

Because not all national news networks perform the same in response to breaking events and local news interest can show wide swings when the news is relevant, key to the research report was the examination of how news events spiked viewer interest. Specifically, do big national or international news stories spike tune-in all the way down to local news coverage?

Rentrak's integrated system of 18 million televisions provides the company with the unique perspective of being able to look at ratings delivery from the national level; drilling directly down to the 210 TV markets. This incredibly detailed analysis combined with Rentrak's ability to tell a favorable story for local news, unlike any other service, is a win for local station groups trying to maximize monetary returns on their programming.

At the national level, a top news network was used as the benchmark. Rentrak was able to correlate spikes in viewing into specific news events as the chart below illustrates which news events stirred viewer interest in tune-in through the start of May 2011. The largest spikes were in reaction to high profile news events like the earthquake in Japan, the air strikes in Libya and the death of Osama bin Laden.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-a)

In order to determine if local news viewers were more likely to change their viewing habits when national or international news was breaking, Rentrak analyzed local news telecasts during Early Fringe (the time period from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) in Birmingham, Dallas, Detroit, Miami and Portland and compared each station's daily average to the top national news network's local delivery.

The research findings showed that in Portland, Detroit and Miami, the national pattern pretty much repeated itself. There was much more variation in the national news network's numbers (on a local basis), than there was for the affiliates local (and loyal) news audiences in Early Fringe.

In the Dallas and Birmingham markets, the analysis showed there was much more reaction to local stories versus big national events. In Dallas, storms and blackouts and the Tucson shooting pumped up local affiliate news; while in Birmingham, weather-related events drove spikes in local news ratings during Early Fringe.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-b)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-c)

"The bottom line is that there is a large and steady stream of viewers to national and local news programs. A smaller, but active set of 'newsies' turn to top news networks when major international and national news breaks, however, when major and relevant local news stories happen, the local news is the place where many people turn to," said Bruce Goerlich, Chief Research Officer at Rentrak.

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, multi-screen television, and home video, Rentrak has developed more efficient metrics to be used as the database currency for the evaluation and selling of media. Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional U.S. and international offices. For more information on Rentrak, please visit www.rentrak.com.

RENTM

Contacts for Rentrak Corporation:
Sallie Olmsted / Amanda Bialek
Office: 310-854-8124 / 310-854-8151
E-mail: solmsted@rogersandcowan.com / abialek@rogersandcowan.com

SOURCE Rentrak Corporation

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-a
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-b
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/SF34406-c
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Rentrak Corporation

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

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