Wharton to Help ESPN with Cross-Media Analysis

In the US, sports entertainment firm ESPN has teamed with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to examine media challenges such as cross-media measurement and analysis.

Through the three-year agreement focusing on Wharton's Interactive Media Initiative (WIMI), ESPN will be provided with access to WIMI's team of academics, while WIMI students will benefit from developing statistical and forecasting models based on ESPN's real-world scenarios.

'This agreement gives us the opportunity to tap into the experts and students in the global WIMI network to help us analyze emerging media data,' explained Artie Bulgrin, ESPN's SVP of Research and Analytics. 'In return, members of our research team will host lectures and insight sessions to help students apply their studies in a corporate, rather than academic, environment.'

The initial goals will focus on four key project areas:

• Detailed analysis and modeling of data from ESPN cross-media studies
• Analysis of new technology to measure TV, radio, web and mobile on a single-source basis
• Evaluation and enhancement of existing data fusion models, and
• Optimization of digital audiences across Internet and mobile, to achieve more accurate forecasting.

In addition, ESPN will have the opportunity to hire interns from the WIMI program who are specifically trained in the emerging field of interactive media measurement.

Also joining the cross-media crusade is ratings giant Arbitron, which yesterday announced it has formed a group tasked with establishing a new audience measurement service across TV, radio, Internet, mobile and place-based media.

Web sites: www.espn.go.com and www.whartoninteractive.com .