FEATURE
RENTRAK
www.rentrak.com
For more than two decades from its headquar- ters in Portland, Oregon, Rentrak has kept refin- ing its measurement technologies in a bid to provide customers with near-real-time, action- able insights into how content performs across every commercial media platform. Its systems process nearly 1 billion pieces of information every day — that is more daily transactions than most credit-card companies handle. A major part of that business is the tracking
of box-office returns, spurred in part by the acquisition of Nielsen EDI and Cine Chiffres in France. “We help the industry both strategically and
tactically,” says CEO Bill Livek. “We keep track of the entire film industry. Who’s going to the movie and how much they are spending at each screen as well as every commercial activity on the small screen including video-on-demand and digital downloads. We are the census com- pany for the entertainment industry.” And not just in the US. Rentrak is a global
company with offices in 15 cities and 11 coun- tries. The international footprint of its Box Office Essentials service has grown with the recent addition of the Portugal market, the expansion of its management team in Russia and the commencement of collecting film infor- mation in mainland China. “We cover 90% of the global box office,” says
theatrical chief Ron Giambra. “We were also the first to offer a mobile service. We did this six or seven years ago and now we have apps for BlackBerries, iPhones and iPads.”
an online animation library. The aim is to create a permanently accessible film archive that can also be used as a sales platform for professionals. More than 10,000 archived films will be
gradually digitised and added to the collection. Reelport sales executive Sebastian Nase
believes film distribution and screening are ripe for innovation “because of the streaming tech- nologies and increasing processing power of computers worldwide. Why shouldn’t a cinema download and play-out a theatrical version of any film on the day they need it?” Nase is wary of competition from BRIC coun-
tries. “In the near future, pricing will definitely be an issue. Because the wages are so low in these countries, it will be difficult to compete on this level. Therefore we have to keep ahead in terms of being familiar and having in-depth knowledge about the special characteristics of our market.”
Launch date 2004-05. Key executives Tilman Scheel, founder and managing director. Cost to users Various as products are customised for every user. Ownership structure Private. Business model Rather than take a cut of festival submission fees — something European festivals do not tend to charge — Reelport relies on a small ‘transmission fee’ for each film submitted.
n 40 Screen International at the Berlinale February 10, 2012
‘We keep track of the entire film industry. We are the census company for the entertainment
industry’ Bill Livek, Rentrak
»
Launch date Founded in 1977 as National Video Inc. Key executives Bill Livek, CEO; Cathy Hetzel, president of Advanced Media Information division; Ron Giambra, president, theatrical worldwide. Cost to users Subscription fees. Ownership structure Public company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Business model Rentrak is split between two core businesses: media measurement and analytical research; and a home-entertainment distribution division that acts as a revenue-sharing middleman between video retailers and their content suppliers. The box-office data business generated $18.3m in fiscal 2011.
RIGHTSLINE
www.rightsline.com
RightsLine is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that enables content distribution com- panies to track the deals, contracts and contrac- tual rights for all of their assets. “We are the only web-based solution that
does this, providing distributors real-time visi- bility into what they can do what with where,” claims CEO Rob Delf. “Our solution enables companies to track where they have assets and the deals associated with them.” Founded before the first dotcom bubble burst,
RightsLine says it has provided web-based asset and rights management for longer than any other site. Time enough to restructure and change tack somewhat. “Our business has evolved by listening to what our users want. As a result, we have changed our focus to specific markets and client types,” says Delf. “We see our growth coming from small content distributors that are either creating or aggregating content in a specific niche [Hindi content for example], and then distributing that content on VoD channels.” “Distribution is the biggest area for innova-
tion — connected devices that enable non-linear distribution on a global basis — both ad-sup- ported and traditional.”
Launch date Founded in 1999, restructured in 2007, relaunched in 2009. Key executives Rob Delf, CEO. Cost to users Initial set-up fee, monthly cost per user. Ownership structure Private CA C-Corp. Business model Software delivered to support end users on a monthly cost basis.
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