ICCI Insight Communications CO CL A (MM)

Rentrak and Insight Communications to Begin Multi-City Trial of Video on Demand Measurement System PORTLAND, Ore. and NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Insight Communications (NASDAQ:ICCI), the country's ninth largest cable operator, and Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ:RENT) today announced an agreement to begin a multi-market pilot trial using OnDemand Essentials(TM), a system created by Rentrak to measure and report anonymous video on demand (VOD) usage data. Testing is scheduled to begin in September throughout Insight's 12 VOD-enabled systems. OnDemand Essentials delivers an in-depth, customizable analysis of aggregate VOD usage data that will help multiple system operators (MSOs) such as Insight and programmers better understand viewer preferences for on demand content. "As video on demand continues to experience tremendous growth, we recognize the importance of accurately measuring customer usage, and we believe this pilot program will be instrumental in informing our programming decisions and future VOD strategy," said Pam Euler Halling, senior vice president, marketing and programming at Insight Communications. "We look forward to implementing Rentrak's solution, which will improve our current process by gathering data more quickly and delivering to us comprehensive reporting metrics." "Insight is a leader in interactive services, and we view our arrangement as another significant milestone for the on demand content industry," added Cathy Hetzel, senior vice president, OnDemand Essentials at Rentrak. "We are very pleased that Insight has selected Rentrak and OnDemand Essentials to participate in this multiple-market pilot program that will assist them in making faster and better informed decisions about their offerings and deliver more efficient and accurate VOD usage measurement throughout their systems." Insight's VOD service, On Demand TV, is currently is available to customers in 12 of the company's 14 markets, located in the four contiguous states of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. Offering customers a variety of programming choices, On Demand TV provides new releases and library movie titles; premium subscription on demand content from HBO, Showtime and STARZ!; and free video magazines from Mag Rack. In addition, Insight offers a subscription on demand package called Kids Unlimited, which includes children's programming from such cable networks as Disney, Cartoon Network and Discovery Channel. On Demand TV is expected to expand into 13 markets by the end of 2004. About OnDemand Essentials OnDemand Essentials provides cable operators, content providers (including broadcast/cable networks, studios) and advertisers with a real-time transactional tracking and reporting system to view and analyze on-demand content. The product is an extension of Rentrak's Essentials suite of business intelligence products customized for the entertainment industry. OnDemand Essentials clients have password protected, real-time, web browser-based 24x7 access to on demand consumer usage data at various access levels based on business and privacy rules. A sophisticated toolset aggregates and reports data across multiple vendors in one easy to use report system. Clients using OnDemand Essentials software are able to instantly analyze and interpret their own business data to identify trends, program and promote more effectively by identifying trends, as well as track their performance against the broader business sector in which they operate. About Insight Communications Insight Communications is the ninth largest cable operator in the United States, serving approximately 1.4 million customers in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight specializes in offering bundled, state-of-the-art services in mid-sized communities and delivering basic and digital video, high-speed data, and voice telephony in selected markets to its customers. About Rentrak Corporation Rentrak Corporation, a Portland, Oregon-based information management and business intelligence company, is the developer of the Essentials(TM) suite of information management products that are used by clients in the media, entertainment, retail and manufacturing industries. Through the specialized vertical market editions of the Essentials web-based applications that are customized to the needs of each licensee, marketers are able to collect, manage and analyze detailed point-of-sale and supply chain data on a real-time basis. The Essentials(TM) suite of services offers bottom-line enhancing and competitive advantages to executives by providing timely and actionable insight into both their own company's performance, as well as perspective from access to aggregated industry-wide data. For further information, please refer to Rentrak's corporate Web site at http://www.rentrak.com/ . Press Contacts Rentrak Sallie Olmsted/Susan Yin 310-201-8824/8845 Insight Communications Sandy Colony 917-286-2300 DATASOURCE: Rentrak Corporation CONTACT: Sallie Olmsted, +1-310-201-8824, or Susan Yin, +1-310-201-8845, both of Rentrak; or Sandy Colony of Insight Communications, +1-917-286-2300 Web site: http://www.rentrak.com/

Copyright