Although Rovi isn’t a household word, the average TV viewer probably uses their product everyday. TNS Media Research is teaming up with Rovi — the technology side of the company that used to be TV Guide — to offer advanced analytics of the clickstream data generated by Rovi’s TV interactive program guide (IPG) data.
“If you’re an MSO, you want to know why [customers] choose or don’t choose to watch VOD,” Scott Rosenberg, Rovi’s VP of advanced advertising told Light Reading. Rovi can collect each click of the remote control and the subsequent result telling researchers how consumers use their guide and the viewing choices they make based on that usage.
It’s a great partnership with high promise for programmers, advertisers and MSOs with just one big Gotcha. Rovi’s dominance in the IPG world makes them a respected data provider. TNS’ back office expertise in processing STB data, gained from working with Charter and DIRECTV, combined with the analytics of their InfoSys tab system, make them a great partner.
The problem is data — specifically not enough of it. Although the TV Guide IPG app from Rovi is installed in 25 million STB homes in North America, a much smaller number are running the firmware to create the return path data that TNS needs. The companies are hoping this announcement will prompt more MSOs to flip the switch and contribute their clickstream data to the analysis. Rovi reports major cable operators in five of the top 10 markets but isn’t naming names.
In the last year the company that originally held Rovi’s IPG technology was sold twice and the acquiring company of the IPG technology changed its name. Rovi uses IPG technology branded as TV Guide in their IPG. TV Guide sold its cable channel and technology to Macrovision last year. The channel was subsequently sold to Lions Gate. Lions Gate then sold 49% of the TV Guide acquisition to One Equity Partners, a previously failed suitor for the TV Guide Website and cable channel. The former MacROVIsion renamed itself Rovi earlier this year (they slimmed down eliminating the “mac” and the “sion” from their name).
Sources: Light Reading, TNS-MR, LA Times, BusinessWeek