Rentrak To Count Chinese TV Viewers

US-based media measurement company Rentrak will begin tracking television audiences in China through a joint venture with local research company Sinomonitor.

The new venture, called Sinotrak, claims to be the first to be approved by the government of China to deliver census-level television viewing information combined with targeting capabilities across the entire country.

The license allows Sinotrak to measure all forms of video screens from digital devices in China, but initially it will only pull data about television through digital set-top boxes.

"China, as the biggest TV market in the world and the engine for global growth, needs a 21st century measurement for TV viewing," said Michael Wen, CEO of Sinomonitor.