A shakeup in media measuring

For years, media people have been eager for a viable competitor to Nielsen to enter the measuring field, complaining that Nielsen’s monopoly has held back innovation and allowed the company to act in its own best interests rather than its clients’.

Tuesday that competitor came into focus.

ComScore, the new media measurement company, agreed to spend $800 million to acquire rival Rentrak, which has been around since 1977.

The merger will create a company with measurement capabilities for digital devices, such as smartphones and tablets, as well as traditional media, such as TV, in addition to video on demand.

ComScore understands that media buyers and planners are eager for cross-platform measurement that would help them make comparisons of audiences between media.

Whether the new company will provide an immediate challenge to Nielsen is doubtful, says Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser.

“Our view is that the two research companies will undoubtedly continue to grow, but not necessarily at Nielsen’s expense,” Wieser said in a commentary on the deal yesterday.

“We see the role of third-party measurement becoming increasingly important to large marketers. This allows for growth opportunities from different providers such as Rentrak and comScore, who can offer new services within growing markets and new services that are complementary to more mature ones without necessarily taking away from Nielsen.”

But media people think in the longer term a Rentrak-ComScore mashup could be the most formidable challenger to Nielsen, which can only result in better services.

Tags: comscore, comscore rentrak, measurement, nielsen, rentrak, rentrak comscore, research