History
Rentrak began as a nationwide video chain named National Video, which was founded and incorporated in 1977.[10] National Video founder Ron Berger developed what is now known as the pay-per-transaction (PPT) system, which allows studios and retailers to lease movie titles instead of purchasing them. The company went public in 1986.[11]
In 1988, facing competition from rival Blockbuster Video, Berger sold the National Video franchise chain and renamed the company Rentrak.[12] Ron Berger later resigned as CEO of Rentrak in 2000. Paul Rosenbaum was CEO from Sept. 2000 to June 2009, when Bill Livek was appointed CEO.[13] Bill Livek extended his contract, along with the company's COO/CFO, David Chemerow, to mid-2015 in November 2011.[14]
In December 2009, Rentrak acquired Nielsen EDI, a leader in box office measurement, for $15 million. The deal made Rentrak the sole provider of worldwide box office ticket sales information for studios and industry analysts.[15][16]
As of July 2015, more than 440 local stations from across 68 station groups use Rentrak's StationView Essentials product for daily media measurement.
Mark Cuban, Internet billionaire, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the HDNet networks, purchased 120,000 more Rentrak shares on August 22, 2011, and holds an 8.7 percent ownership stake in the company as of September 22, 2011. He had been accumulating Rentrak stock since 2004.[17] He sold his interest in the company in May 2015.[18]
