TiVo announced today it has paid $20 million to acquire TRA Inc., a deal that could bring it closer to giving advertisers the type of accountability they currently get from online campaigns. TiVo previously had been an investor in the media analytics company.
TRA’s platform correlates information about television viewing with information about that same household’s purchases. It will be integrated into TiVo’s existing data and analytics group, a unit that conveniently retains the acronym TRA as it becomes TiVo Research and Analytics.
CBS, A&E Television Networks, ION Media, Procter & Gamble, Oscar Mayer and Starcom MediaVest Group are among TRA’s existing brand and network clients.
“TV has long been the best medium for advertisers to influence what consumers buy,” said Tom Rogers, CEO and president of TiVo. “With this new level of unique audience insights and analytics, TiVo will be able to provide insights nobody else has in an industry increasingly seeking alternative ways to measure audience behavior accurately while increasing efficiencies in media spending.”
TRA said its revenue is on track to increase significantly in 2012. TiVo expects the transaction to close this month and that it will be accretive to Adjusted EBITDA in its next fiscal year if planned synergies are realized.
Related links:
TiVo – http://www.tivo.com
TiVo – press release
TRA Inc. – http://www.traglobal.com
MediaPost – TiVo Fast-Forwards Consumer Research, Acquires ‘Single-Source’ Supplier TRA
IR&TV News – TiVo seeks greater viewer insights through TRA acquisition
MarketWatch – TiVo to buy TRA in $20M TV-analytics deal
Reuters – Tivo to buy TRA for $20 million
New York Times – TiVo to Buy Company That Tracks Shopping of TV Viewers
