iSpot is buying out-of-home measurement specialist Tunity to expand its cross-platform viewing verification capabilities.
In Tunity, iSpot gets a company with a national consumer panel that serves up data on out-of-home TV viewing for locations including bars, restaurants, gyms, universities, waiting rooms, doctors’ offices and airports. Tunity’s mobile app lets users hear live audio from muted televisions directly on their mobile devices. From there it models viewing behavior from hundreds of thousands of individuals in the U.S. and estimates out-of-home viewing that can account for up to 100 million hours per day.
“The existing ratings models have proven to woefully misrepresent viewership in public spaces, which has an impact on the business models for the buy and sell side,” said iSpot CEO Sean Muller in a statement. “iSpot’s acquisition of Tunity will enable us to meet a massive demand in the marketplace with a more unified, independent measurement system that tracks audience consumption of ads and programming on a second-by-second basis, across platforms and viewing experiences.”
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iSpot will integrate Tunity Analytics into its measurement stack and as part of the deal, the company is also pick up a series of patents and expand its technical operations and expertise in next-generation deep/machine learning, cloud computing and computer-vision capabilities. The group will continue to be led by Tunity founder Yaniv Davidson. Tunity Head of Research and Analytics Paul Lindstrom will also retain his role.
“iSpot and Tunity share a similar DNA in that both organizations were purpose-built to solve massive structural problems in measurement using patented technologies and real-time solutions,” said Davidson in a statement. “We’re excited to combine the strength of our technologies, the passion of our engineers to bring smarter solutions to the marketplace. Our success is a benefit for advertisers and networks, but it also delivers palpable benefits to consumers.”
The acquisition marks the third company in 14 months to become an iSpot subsidiary after the company’s acquisitions of Ace Metrix, a real-time system for measuring brand impact, and DRMetrix, which tracks variable messaging and advanced advertising in cover-up inventory.