Rentrak Signs Contract with Hallmark Channel & Hallmark Movie Channel

Rentrak Signs Contract with Hallmark Channel & Hallmark Movie Channel

-- Crown Media Holdings, Inc. Selects Rentrak's TV Essentials Television Measurement Database for Access to Enhanced Viewer Metrics During the Upfront Season --

PORTLAND, Ore., March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rentrak Corporation (Nasdaq: RENT), the leader in multi-screen media measurement serving the advertising, television and entertainment industries, today announced a TV Essentials contract with Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. The unique reporting from Rentrak's TV Essentials service, which includes the company's proprietary "Stickiness Index," will allow the network to change the discussion in media negotiations from reach and frequency to engagement.

"Rentrak developed the 'Stickiness Index' as a tool to give networks and advertisers a more valuable metric to measure engagement for linear TV programming. We are excited to partner with Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel during this key upfront period," said Carol Hinnant, Senior Vice President of National Network Sales, Advanced Media and Information (AMI) division at Rentrak.

Rentrak's TV Essentials is the television ratings database currency that measures all networks at a granular level in all 210 markets nationwide. The service incorporates data from over 17 million televisions and is the only fully-integrated system of detailed satellite, telco and cable TV viewing data commercially available.

"Crown Media is excited to partner with Rentrak and use their information from over 17 million TV sets. They are an excellent source for measurement of viewer involvement," said Jess Aguirre, Senior Vice President, Research and Media Planning, Crown Media Holdings, Inc. "The amount of time a viewer stays with a program is the ultimate measure of viewer engagement and value to our advertisers. Over the last four weeks in Rentrak's 'Stickiness Index,' Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel combined to deliver eight of the top-ten programs on cable, confirming that nothing on cable television is more emotionally engaging than a Hallmark Movie."

About Rentrak Corporation

Rentrak (NASDAQ: RENT) is a global digital media measurement and research company, serving the most recognizable companies in the entertainment industry. With a reach across numerous platforms including box office, multi-screen television, and home video, Rentrak has developed more efficient metrics to be used as alternative currencies for the evaluation and selling of media. Rentrak is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional U.S. and international offices. For more information on Rentrak, please visit www.rentrak.com.

About Crown Media Holdings

Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWN) owns and operates cable television channels dedicated to high quality, broad appeal, entertainment programming. The Company currently operates and distributes Hallmark Channel in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to over 87 million subscribers in the U.S. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading network in providing quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and general entertainment, and is the home of The Martha Stewart Show and other home and lifestyle content. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, distributed to more than 40 million homes and one of America's fastest-growing cable networks. Hallmark Movie Channel provides family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.

Contacts for Rentrak Corporation:
---------------------------------
Sallie Olmsted / Amanda Bialek
Office: 310-854-8124 / 310-854-8151
E-mail: solmsted@rogersandcowan.com / abialek@rogersandcowan.com

SOURCE Rentrak Corporation

Rentrak Corporation

CONTACT: Sallie Olmsted, +1-310-854-8124, solmsted@rogersandcowan.com, or Amanda Bialek, +1-310-854-8151, abialek@rogersandcowan.com, both for Rentrak Corporation

Web Site: http://www.rentrak.com

-------
Profile: intent