TRA, which provides TV measurement software that
analyzes set-top box data, has hired executives previously with Nielsen, TiVo
and Comcast Spotlight and named media-industry researcher Jack Myers to its
advisory board.
Joining the New York-based startup are: Fariba
Zamaniyan, senior vice president of sales; Bob Pares, senior vice president of
network sales; and Jonathan Sims, vice president of product management.
Zaminayan was previously a senior vice president at
Nielsen, where she advised pharmaceutical companies on national TV campaigns.
Prior to Nielsen, she was with market-research firm Ipsos North America.
Pares, formerly TiVo's vice president of audience
research and measurement sales, will be in charge of sales to broadcast and
cable networks. Prior to TiVo, he was a senior vice president at research firm
GfK NOP where he managed consulting services for Roper Reports.
Sims was previously Comcast Spotlight's vice president
of research as well as a consultant to Microsoft. At TRA he will oversee
product management and work with the company's engineering team, sales force
and customers.
TRA provides Web-based software, Media TRAnalytics,
for analyzing TV viewing and retail purchasing across 370,000 U.S. households.
Its database cross-references set-top box data from 1.5 million households
(mostly through TiVo) with purchasing data from 54 million households collected
through frequent-shopper cards issued by grocery stores and other retailers.
The company has raised more than $36 million to date
from investors including Arbitron, WPP and Intel. TRA's name stands for
"true ROI (return on investment) accountability."
