BELLEVUE, Wash. & NEW YORK—Amid ongoing consolidation in the ad measurement and tech sector, iSpot.tv has acquired 605, a measurement and attribution company. 

The deal brings together two independent TV measurement companies with a significant customer footprint across brands, TV networks and streaming publishers. The acquisition is iSpot’s fourth in five years and the largest to date. Parties are not disclosing the terms of the deal.

Besides expanding its TV measurement market share, the acquisition of 605 bolsters iSpot’s measurement solutions for video and TV advertising effectiveness, especially in the areas of business outcome attribution, advanced audience measurement, media planning and data science managed services, the companies reported. 

“605 has developed an impressive technology architecture, a great approach to using big data and a suite of powerful solutions that nicely complement our own,” says Sean Muller, founder and CEO of iSpot. “We are excited to integrate their world-class team of engineers and data scientists in our mission to modernize measurement effectiveness and new currencies.”

With the acquisition, iSpot will add set-top box data from 16.6 million homes to its smart TV data footprint, bringing iSpot’s total available TV device footprint to 82.7 million. The combined data sets, which include smart TV data from Vizio and LG, will serve as a foundation for delivering accurate, representative measurement and new currencies to the TV marketplace.

“We launched 605 seven years ago with the idea that high-quality data and advanced analytics would make television advertising even more effective, from planning and segmentation all the way through to attribution and now prediction. During a time of profound change in our industry, I could not be more proud of the team for delivering on that promise,” said Kristin Dolan, founder of 605 and today the CEO of AMC Networks. “iSpot has built a large and loyal customer base, particularly with large brand advertisers, and is a pioneer in the measurement space. I can’t wait to see the things this powerful combination of technology and talent can achieve and bring to a growing array of clients and partners under iSpot’s leadership.”

The deal for 605 will provide iSpot with innovative solutions that have been broadly adopted by TV networks and will augment iSpot’s offerings. These include best-in-class business outcome attribution solutions that measure effectiveness against CPG sales, auto sales, credit card, location, search and survey KPIs. Capabilities also include a powerful planning and optimization platform, advanced audience segmentation and predictive analytics capabilities powered by machine learning.

All 85 employees of 605 will be joining iSpot, bringing total employee count to 464. In the immediate term, 605 will continue to operate as an iSpot company, building and supporting 605 solutions. 

The companies also said that they will work together to integrate all products under a single offering that will utilize a unified data spine and technology infrastructure for all measurement and currency offerings.

NEW YORK—In the wake of Nielsen accreditation issues with the Media Rating Council (MRC), a number of companies have been positioning themselves as an alternative. 

Nielsen has requested that the process of accrediting its National TV measurement system be put on hiatus so that it can focus its resources on fixing the problems with its panels and on the rollout of its new Nielsen One service in 2022, which will provide better cross platform measurement. 

The MRC is not expected to rule on that request until next week but it has said that if it grants Nielsen’s request, the measurement system would not be accredited during the hiatus.

In this period of uncertainty, 605 issued a statement commenting on its position as an alternative television viewing measurement solution for networks, MVPD’s, agencies and brands as Nielsen has stepped away from its Media Rating Council accreditation.

“We have invested in developing a better and more effective television viewing measurement solution based on more comprehensive data sets that reflect the true value of television advertising,” the company said. “Our reports developed through easy-to-use products like PLATF0RM, IMP4CT and DR1VE offer the kind of actionable information that enable networks, MVPD’s, agencies and brands to have the new ability to truly identify audiences that drive sales outcomes which is ultimately what is needed in the television advertising marketplace.

“Our neutral status, superior attribution methodology and SaaS tools make us a natural choice for those who are looking for a new television viewing measurement partner that can also deliver cross-platform measurement as well. We are already working closely with a number of major television networks and are confident in our ability to scale to meet growing demand in the wake of these developments between Nielsen and MRC.”

605 has a TV viewership dataset covering more than 22 million households across over 200 U.S. markets that it says combines the best attributes of set-top box and automatic content recognition data (ACR). 

For more information visit 605.tv/platform

NEW YORK—TV measurement and analytics company 605 is launching its new, next-generation platform for national TV networks, advertisers and agencies, dubbed 605 Platform.

605 Platform is a web-based application that enables advanced measurement and analysis of TV programs and advertisements across linear, over-the-air, DVR and set-top box VOD. The system can combine and match client viewership data across the various datasets, with an “Identity Layer” allowing for users to select, activate and target first- or third-party audience segments or datasets.

The web-based dashboard for the 605 Platform supports planning, posting, measurement and analysis of programming or advertisements based on demographics, intent, psychographic, purchase or CRM audience segmentation. Users can expand viewership periods for coverage of recent viewership or as far back as two years, per 605. An API is also available for integration with in-house and third-party tools.

The 605 Platform can be used on its own or with other measurement tools for better understanding and targeting of specific audiences, the company said.

“We are delivering a currency grade view of the traditional TV ecosystem that makes it actionable in ways that were never before possible,” said Noah Levine, chief revenue office at 605.

605 Platform already has its first pair of customers, as AMC Networks and Discovery have agreed to serve as the first official programming clients.

For more information, visit www.605.tv.