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Rentrak Corporation
Rentrak Corporation, a Portland-based media measurement firm with a proprietary set-top-box data platform, merged with Comscore in 2016.
Rentrak Corporation
Rentrak Corporation was founded as a private venture that later became a public company traded on NASDAQ, known for its advanced media measurement services. The firm specialized in set-top-box data collection from cable and satellite providers, offering granular viewership analytics that competed with Nielsen. Its core product was the "OnDemand Essentials" reporting suite, which tracked digital and linear television consumption across millions of households. The company's investment posture centered on building and licensing its proprietary database infrastructure rather than deploying external capital. Rentrak's assets included patent-protected methodologies for measuring out-of-home viewing and time-shifted content. By the early 2010s, Rentrak had secured contracts with major studios including Warner Bros. and Disney, as well as cable networks like ESPN. Its revenue model was subscription-based, with clients paying for access to daily viewership reports and custom analytics. As of its 2015 fiscal year, Rentrak reported annual revenue of approximately $49 million (per SEC filings). The company employed roughly 200 staff across its Portland base and satellite offices. In February 2016, Rentrak merged with Comscore in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at about $766 million (per Comscore press release). No public disclosure exists of any philanthropic foundation or separate investment vehicle tied to Rentrak's operators. Rentrak's structural differentiator was its reliance on census-level set-top-box data rather than panel-based sampling used by competitors. This gave it a scale advantage in local market measurement, though it faced challenges in integrating rapidly evolving digital streaming sources. The post-acquisition entity ceased operating as an independent firm.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Portland
Corporate office
Portland, OR, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What did Rentrak Corporation do before merging with Comscore?
Rentrak provided television and movie audience measurement services using set-top-box data from cable and satellite providers. Its "OnDemand Essentials" product tracked viewership across linear and on-demand content, competing directly with Nielsen's panel-based ratings. The firm served studios, networks, and advertising agencies with daily reports and custom analytics (public record).
How did Rentrak's measurement methodology differ from Nielsen?
Rentrak used census-level data from set-top boxes in millions of households rather than relying on a representative panel sample. This approach offered finer local market granularity but faced challenges in integrating over-the-top streaming viewership. The firm held patents related to out-of-home viewing measurement (per SEC filings).
Why did Rentrak merge with Comscore?
The merger combined Rentrak's set-top-box data assets with Comscore's digital measurement capabilities and ad-serving technology. The 2016 stock-for-stock transaction valued Rentrak at roughly $766 million (per Comscore press release). The combined entity aimed to create a cross-platform measurement solution spanning TV, digital, and mobile.
Was Rentrak a family office?
No. Rentrak was a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: RENT) before its acquisition by Comscore. It operated as an independent media measurement and analytics firm, not a family office or asset manager. No publicly available information connects Rentrak to multi-generational family wealth management.
What happened to Rentrak's technology after the Comscore acquisition?
Comscore integrated Rentrak's set-top-box data pipeline into its own measurement platform. The Rentrak brand was retired, and the former Rentrak products were folded into Comscore's suite of audience measurement and advertising analytics services. The Portland office continued as a Comscore engineering hub following the merger (public record).
Who were Rentrak's major clients?
Public filings and press releases cite contracts with Warner Bros., Disney, ESPN, and other major media companies. Rentrak also served local television stations and regional cable operators. Client names are sourced from Rentrak's SEC filings and trade press coverage during the pre-merger period.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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