Partnership for Rentrak and Merkle

In the US, data-driven CRM agency Merkle has announced a strategic partnership with booming audience measurement specialist Rentrak, combining the former's consumer segmentation expertise with the latter's 'massive and passive' viewing data.

Rentrak will use Merkle's proprietary, multi-national database DataSource to add rich demographic insights on the consumer population it observes, and the partners will provide clients with 'more effective customer advanced analytics and demographics'.

Andrew Hoeberichts, Merkle's SVP, General Manager, Media & Entertainment comments: 'Our partnership with the leading player in the marketplace, Rentrak, allows us to help advertiser clients get more granular insights on the viewing behavior of their target audiences with the most powerful medium in the world, TV. This is a new and extremely valuable input to today's modern media planning activities.' Rentrak CEO Bill Livek (pictured) adds: 'Rentrak is very excited to be working with Merkle to power targeting solutions that are revolutionizing the way television is bought and sold'.

Rentrak, whose TV Everywhere revenues have been leading its rapid rise, has already announced deals in the last nine months with IRI and comScore, Kantar and PlaceIQ. Merkle is a privately held corporation with more than 2,700 employees in its Columbia, Maryland headquarters, fourteen other US locations and offices in London, Shanghai and Nanjing.

The companies are online at www.merkleinc.com and www.rentrak.com .