The Return of Rentrak

Comscore has sold off its Movies box office measurement business to private investment firm Advaya Capital, which will immediately revive the Rentrak name. The price of $70m is less than 10% of what Comscore paid for the company ten years ago, but Advaya has ambitious plans for the legendary brand.

Comscore Movies collects transaction-level data from around 34,000 theaters/cinemas and more than 200,000 screens across 70 countries, representing c.95% of the global box office and nearly 100% of that of North America. The business provides studios, distributors and exhibitors with data used in framing release strategy, arranging financial settlements and talent compensation, and driving downstream licensing decisions.

Advaya says the rebrand will 'restore the name under which the company originally built its position as the global entertainment industry's most trusted source of box office data.' The business traces its roots to a venture founded in 1976 by Marcie Polier Swartz, Entertainment Data Inc. (EDI) - this company was acquired by Nielsen in 1997 and rebranded Nielsen EDI; then sold in 2010 to rival measurement firm Rentrak Theatrical. Comscore announced in September 2015 it would acquire the firm for $732m - the deal was completed four months later.

At the time, Rentrak was in fine shape as its measurement business boomed, more than compensating for the withering away of its legacy movie rental business - but only six weeks later Comscore became embroiled in an accounting review. Its share price began a long, steep decline from which it has never recovered, despite the enlarged Comscore's revenue remaining fairly stable for much of the intervening decade, and some (few) quarters turning a profit. Within the firm, the movie measurement business suffered inevitably as theaters emptied during the pandemic, but a strong and sustained recovery in the last three years has seen both the supply of films and audience demand rebound strongly. According to Comscore Movies Head of Marketplace Trends Paul Dergarabedian, the US box office entered 2026 with strong momentum and is on track for as much as $9.6 billion this year, the biggest since 2019.

In this context, Advaya says it will make continuity the immediate priority, but also commit to investment and innovation. Managing Partner Anant Gupta (pictured), a previous Board member of Nielsen, comments: 'Comscore Movies has been the gold standard for box office data for nearly 50 years, and we will continue to provide customers and exhibitor partners with the same platform and same trusted service. This acquisition is a commitment to the theatrical industry's past, present and future. Returning to the Rentrak name reflects a return to the spirit of service and innovation that made this platform what it is. In the near term we will continue to provide customers with the same platform and same trusted service, while making new investments in the platform to grow the dataset, build out analytics capabilities and bring this business into a new era. We look forward to engaging with studios, distributors and theaters alike to hear how we can continue to improve upon the legacy of the business.'

Also joining the new Rentrak's Board will be Chris Aronson, former President of Distribution at Paramount and 20th Century Fox, who also founded Rentrak Theatrical; and Arturo Guillén, who served as Global MD and Executive Vice President of Comscore Movies. Guillén says the firm will be 'building a platform that doesn't just report numbers, it builds the future of cinema,' adding: 'We are committed to helping the movie industry grow as a whole.'

Comscore CEO Jon Carpenter says his firm is 'proud to have been [Rentrak's] steward over the last decade,' and adds'This transaction places the business in the hands of a team with deep expertise in data and media platforms and a genuine commitment to the theatrical industry's future.'

Advaya plans to invest in three areas: expanding and deepening the dataset, including geographically; using AI to automate and enhance data collection and build out descriptive and predictive analytics capabilities; and developing new products and services to address unmet needs across the theatrical ecosystem, 'with an eye toward the evolving relationship between theatrical release and streaming.'

Web sites: www.comscore.com , www.advayacap.com and [we assume coming soon as a separate entity] www.rentrak.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.