Set-Top Data Firms To Meet With CIMM
by Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 11/9/2009
The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement this week plans to meet with Nielsen, Rentrak, TiVo, TRA and TNS Media Research — the first five in a group of companies currently providing set-top box data — to discuss how they can work together with CIMM.
CIMM, which formally launched in September, was formed by 14 major media companies, ad agencies and marketers to spur the development of advanced forms of TV advertising measurement.
In a statement, CIMM said the Nov. 10 meetings with the set-top data suppliers are “a first step” in its request-for-proposals process. The group's other area of focus — cross-platform video measurement — “will be addressed shortly,” the group said.
The meetings with the five set-top data suppliers will be “completely proprietary,” according to CIMM, and are intended to solicit feedback from the companies about how they would like to work with the group going forward. CIMM said it will also help provide the companies with more detail on their expectations and discuss potential projects they'd like the groups to consider.
CIMM said it would break away from the traditional RFP process of designating one “winner” among multiple proposals. Instead, the coalition said, it will try to foster “a collaborative relationship with various data and technology providers to help identify and fund multiple projects that meet the group's criteria.”
The New York-based coalition, which recently established a Web site at www.cimm-us.org, has yet to announce a managing director to run the organization.
Its founding members are seven media companies, CBS, Discovery Communications, NBC Universal, News Corp., Time Warner Inc., Viacom and The Walt Disney Co.; four ad agencies, GroupM, Interpublic Group's Mediabrands, Omnicom Media Group and Starcom MediaVest Group Worldwide; and three large advertisers, AT&T, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. CIMM's Web site also lists ad agency Carat as a 15th member.
The coalition is soliciting a request for information regarding its set-top box data project on its Web site. NBCU president of research and media development Alan Wurtzel is currently heading up the set-top data RFP process.
