There’s a new highway to audience measurement and analytics being paved by the Dolan family.
Don’t fret, Southern California motorists — this 605 doesn’t involve the San Gabriel Freeway.
In an announcement made early Thursday, Dolan Family Ventures — a brand-new company created expressly to “make focused investments in data, analytics and technology-based businesses” — has acquired Analytics Media Group (AMG).
AMG fits that criteria, as it is a top data analytics and technology business with expertise in political, marketing and data crunching.
With the acquisition, DFV — led by Kristin and James L. Dolan, the son of Cablevision founder Charles Dolan and nephew of Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan — has launched 605 as “a new independent audience measurement and analytics business focused on optimizing marketing and programming initiatives within the media and entertainment industries.”
Kristin Dolan leads DFV, and as a founder and Managing Partner sheds her role as COO of Cablevision with its sale to French company Altice.
The key goal of 605? Tapping into the set-top box to provide data to advertisers and media company C-Suites.
“Extensive, privacy-protected, set-top box viewing data” is at the heart of 605, Kristin Dolan says.
Could the Dolans be putting ComScore, and Nielsen, on notice?
“Our experience in the industry tells us there are major gaps in audience measurement and television analytics in the current marketing and programming landscape,” Ms. Dolan said. “The acquisition of AMG and the subsequent launch of 605 immediately establishes a company with real scale, significant resources, profound analytic capabilities, extensive set-top box data and management experience. 605 is creating a new generation of products and services to enhance media buying, planning, programming and audience targeting. This fills a critical need for media and entertainment businesses in today’s rapidly changing viewing landscape.”
Indeed, 605 launches as a fully-formed and well-financed company; Dolan says 605’s set-top box data “is unique in terms of its footprint and the rights granted, which enables a deeper, broader and more granular analysis to deliver actionable insights to programmers, brands and advertisers.”
Cablevision Media Sales president Ben Tatta is also on board at 605, as a co-founder and President officially in the role since June. He added, “As an early pioneer in the use of set-top box data for TV measurement and ad optimization, AMG has built one of the most advanced TV analytics businesses in the United States. We look forward to working with the AMG team to integrate data from our data partner’s set-top boxes to enhance and expand the line-up of custom-tailored solutions that 605 will bring to programmers and advertisers alike.”
AMG’s current client roster includes the likes of Walmart.
“AMG is an outstanding partner whose pioneering use of data and powerful insights have been of real value to Walmart,” said Aaron Bernstein, Senior Director, Insights & Advocacy at Walmart. “We are really pleased for the team there and excited about the formation of 605, which has the potential to make AMG’s solutions even stronger.”
