Comscore Expands Long-Term Local Currency Partnership with Gray Media to Include Advanced Audience Measurement in Multi-Year Agreement

Rhea-AI Summary

Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR) has expanded its multi-year partnership with Gray Media, one of the largest TV station groups in the US. The agreement positions Comscore as a key local measurement currency provider and includes additional advanced demographics and cross-platform audience insights. Starting in 2025, Gray Media will adopt Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR) for comprehensive cross-platform measurement with in-flight monitoring.

The partnership expansion includes measurement for more TV stations, including broadcast regional sports networks. Gray Media will also utilize Comscore's Advanced Audience solutions, featuring County, Automotive, Political data, and Plan Metrix, enabling marketers to plan campaigns based on specific audience behaviors. These tools will provide advertisers with de-duplicated measurement across screens for metrics like reach, frequency, incrementality, and co-viewing.

Positive

• Secured multi-year agreement with major TV station group Gray Media
• Expanded services to include additional TV stations and regional sports networks
• Implementation of CCR platform in 2025 will enhance cross-platform measurement capabilities
• Added advanced audience measurement tools including County, Automotive, and Political data

Negative

• None.

Insights

Market Research Analyst

The expanded partnership between Comscore and Gray Media represents a strategic move in the TV measurement landscape but has immediate financial impact. The multi-year agreement primarily focuses on maintaining existing services while adding advanced audience measurement capabilities. While this helps secure Comscore's revenue stream, it's more about defending market position than significant growth.

The integration of Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR) in 2025 and addition of broadcast regional sports networks could provide incremental revenue, but the impact on Comscore's $32.5M market cap is likely minimal. For context, Comscore's total revenue in recent quarters has been relatively flat and while partnerships like this are important for maintaining market share, they typically don't move the needle significantly on overall financial performance.

The true value lies in the long-term strategic positioning - think of it as reinforcing the foundation rather than building new floors. In the highly competitive audience measurement space, where Nielsen remains dominant, these partnerships help Comscore maintain its foothold but don't necessarily translate to substantial stock price catalysts.

RESTON, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting, and evaluating media across platforms, today announced the expansion of its partnership with Gray Media, one of the largest TV station groups in the United States, in a multi-year agreement. Comscore will continue as a key local measurement currency provider for Gray Media and provide additional advanced demographics as well as more precise audience insights across screens. This enhanced partnership demonstrates Comscore’s commitment to delivering innovative, audience-centric solutions that help broadcasters like Gray and their advertisers drive revenue growth and optimize campaign performance.

“We appreciate Comscore’s continued advancements in audience measurement and are pleased to roll out these solutions across more of our stations,” said Matt Jaquint, Senior Managing Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer, Gray Media.

The renewed agreement marks a key milestone as Gray Media prepares to adopt Comscore’s cross-platform measurement solution, Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR), starting in 2025. CCR will enable Gray to deliver comprehensive cross-platform insights with in-flight monitoring, ensuring advertisers achieve maximum campaign efficiency.

Additionally, Gray Media has added more TV stations, including broadcast regional sports networks, for measurement by Comscore. It will now also leverage Comscore’s Advanced Audience solutions, including County, Automotive, Political data, and Plan Metrix, which enables marketers to plan against very specific audiences based on behavior. These capabilities will provide Gray’s advertisers with precise insights and de-duplicated measurement across screens for key metrics such as reach, frequency, incrementality, and co-viewing.

“This expanded partnership represents a significant step forward in the measurement space as we continue to work alongside Gray Media to provide data-driven insights that fuel their continued growth and success,” said Steve Bagdasarian, Chief Commercial Officer at Comscore. “We take pride in Gray’s confidence in our advanced cross platform audience measurement solutions and are pleased to expand this important relationship.”

About Gray
Gray Media, or Gray, is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, formally known as Gray Television, Inc. The company is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 43 markets totaling nearly 1.5 million Hispanic TV Households. The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Gray’s additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. Gray owns a majority interest in Swirl Films. For more information, please visit www.graymedia.com

About Comscore
Comscore is a global, trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating media across platforms. With a data footprint that combines digital, linear TV, over-the-top and theatrical viewership intelligence with advanced audience insights, Comscore empowers media buyers and sellers to quantify their multi screen behavior and make meaningful business decisions with confidence. A proven leader in measuring digital and TV audiences and advertising at scale, Comscore is the industry's emerging third-party source for reliable and comprehensive cross-platform measurement. To learn more, please visit www.comscore.com

Media Contacts:

Marie Scoutas
Comscore
press@comscore.com

FAQ

What new features are included in Comscore's (SCOR) expanded partnership with Gray Media?

The expanded partnership includes advanced demographics, cross-platform audience insights, Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR), and Advanced Audience solutions including County, Automotive, Political data, and Plan Metrix.

When will Gray Media implement Comscore's (SCOR) Campaign Ratings platform?

Gray Media will begin implementing Comscore Campaign Ratings (CCR) starting in 2025.

What measurement metrics will Comscore (SCOR) provide to Gray Media advertisers?

Comscore will provide de-duplicated measurement across screens for key metrics including reach, frequency, incrementality, and co-viewing.

How will Comscore's (SCOR) Plan Metrix benefit Gray Media advertisers?

Plan Metrix will enable marketers to plan campaigns against specific audiences based on behavioral data, providing more precise targeting capabilities.