Rentrak adds Midcontinent Comms data to TV Essentials

The broadcaster has around 250,000 customers and serves 240 communities in the upper Midwest region.

Midcontinent’s senior vice president of public policy W. Tom Simmons said: “The increase in STB availability and robust reporting systems further proves the legitimacy and importance of STB data as a currency in the marketplace. We are thrilled to be included as an operator partner to add to Rentrak’s’s ability to provide full-market projections.”

The move by Midcontinent goes some way towards answering the call made recently by the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement for more cable and satellite TV providers to make STB data available in order to boost sample representativeness.

As well as adding a new data partner, Rentrak has also signed a new TV Essentials customer Olympusat – which provides operational and distribution services for Hispanic and faith-based networks.