TiVo 'Has Acquired TRA' Says Report

Digital video recorder (DVR) solutions provider TiVo has acquired media measurement and analytics firm TRA, according to unconfirmed reports.

TRA's Media TRAnalytics system, which was launched in 2008, matches the ads households receive with the products they buy, by linking second-by-second TV ad audience data from 2.2 million households.

TiVo has been involved in the audience measurement business since the 2007 launch of its Stop||Watch service, which helps clients understand time-shifted viewing among its DVR subscribers.

Terms of the new deal have not been disclosed, but TiVo's backing would help TRA to compete with larger players such as Nielsen, Rentrak, and WPP-owned Kantar - which is a TRA investor. This afternoon's report on www.mediapost.com did not cite sources but suggested that TRA had apparently been 'struggling with cash flow' and would gain security from the deal.

TiVo and TRA have worked together for some time, developing bundled offerings aimed at strengthening the link between household purchasing decisions and ad exposure.

Last year, WPP filed a lawsuit against TRA, over allegations that Kantar had 'ripped off' the Media TRAnalyics TV audience/shopping data matching solution in the development of its own RapidView product. Despite a New York court's rejection of TRA's claims, TRA asked the courts to consider a further claim that WPP/Kantar 'improperly used' its trade secrets during development of the tool.

Web sites: www.tivo.com and www.traglobal.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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