Teletrax, the global broadcast intelligence company, has extended its contract with the ABC Television Network to monitor usage of promotional content by all of ABC’s affiliates, it was announced today at NATPE 2007, the annual conference of the National Association of Television Program Executives.
A subsidiary of Medialink Worldwide Incorporated (Nasdaq: MDLK), Teletrax offers the first and only digital video monitoring and content tracking service that provides vital television intelligence on a global scale to video providers such as entertainment studios, news organizations, sports leagues, TV syndicators, and the advertising industry. Teletrax is a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG) and Medialink.
ABC Television Network (ABC), a unit of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is the first Teletrax client to contract to receive broadcast tracking and analysis across the 210 markets in the U.S. ABC Affiliate Marketing utilizes Teletrax to electronically track the broadcast of its on-air television show promotions.
With a number of new and existing clients seeking added depth to their video monitoring and analysis, Teletrax is completing the next phase of its growth with the expansion of its network to track television broadcasts in all 210 U.S. markets, from the nations largest market, New York, through the smallest measured television market, Glendive, Montana. Through this expanded network, Teletrax is able to provide video content owners with the ability to track and monitor short- and long-form programming and airings of TV promotions and advertising spots throughout all markets in the United States and the larger markets in Canada, ensuring the proper utilization of content and protection of assets.
The expansion of our network to include all U.S. markets is a significant milestone for Teletrax, making us the only global broadcast verification company to offer full nationwide coverage, said Andy Nobbs, president of Teletrax. Our ability to expand the network so widely is testament to our increasing momentum in the market, and further establishes us as the industry standard in the monitoring and reporting of broadcast content. We will be able to offer clients enhanced tracking and analysis capabilities, providing valuable media intelligence that contributes to significant growth in overall return-on-investment.
Launched in 2002 as a service developed by a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG) and Medialink, with an underlying technology that is patent protected both by Philips and Digimarc Corp. (Nasdaq: DMRC), Teletraxs technology embeds an imperceptible and indelible digital watermark into video whenever it is edited, transmitted, broadcast or duplicated.
A global network of decoders, or detectors, then captures all occurrences of the embedded video being transmitted via satellite, cable or terrestrially and generates tracking reports for the content owners. Reports of individual broadcast airings are delivered online in near real-time to each clients custom-designed portal or in data file transfers. Each clients broadcast activity is updated dynamically, 24 hours a day, enabling clients to respond immediately to reported results such as changes in end-user preferences or detections of unauthorized use.
Teletrax provides vital broadcast television intelligence to video content providers such as entertainment companies, news organizations, TV syndicators, and the advertising industry. The company currently maintains a proprietary network of detectors that monitors the television broadcasts of 1,300 channels from more than 50 nations, and will be delivering full market coverage in the United States, representing more than 90% of all U.S. television households. Its international network covers television stations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, South and Central America, and Canada.
Entertainment, news and media organizations both within and outside of the United States that also have contracted to use Teletrax for the tracking of news video, advertising or promotional content include ABC Television Network, BBC, Buena Vista Television, Fox Broadcasting Company, NBC News Channel, The NBC Agency, NBC Universal Domestic Television, Reuters Television, Tribune Entertainment, United Nations, A1GP, ITN Networks, Euro RSCG 4D DRTV and Medialink. A number of other companies are also in active trials with the Teletrax service.