A+E Networks Subscribes To Standard Media Index's Comprehensive Ad Spend Data Feed

NEW YORK, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Media Index (SMI), the exclusive global provider of comprehensive real time, advertising expenditure data, today announced that A+E Networks has become one of its first U.S. subscribers. A+E joins a growing global subscriber network which also features SMI clients in other markets including Viacom, News Corporation, Yahoo!, Google, Goldman Sachs and Fidelity. SMI will provide A+E a data feed of real advertising spend sourced directly from the majority of U.S. media buying groups on a monthly basis.

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"Actual booking data sourced directly from the agencies gives us a clear picture of true market dynamics and enables us to react faster to changes in the market place," said Mel Berning, President, Ad Sales for A+E Networks. "SMI's breakthrough data platform provides us with a level of visibility into ad expenditure that will be transformative. Access to the majority of agencies' real data is also a far better way of tracking our share against major competitors and will better inform our interactions with the agencies in justifying and growing our share based on ratings performance."

Over the last five years, SMI has built its proprietary coding-technology architecture to automatically collect and aggregate global advertising expenditure data. Via "AdSphere," the backbone of SMI's platform, subscribers can access a new paradigm of credible, accurate ad booking data that is sourced from the world's leading media buying groups.

"We are delighted that A+E has become an early adopter and subscriber of SMI's data, which empowers them to better evaluate and validate their investment decisions on the basis of actual advertising spend data across all media types and vendors," said James Fennessy, Chief Commercial Officer, SMI. "A+E is leading the way for media organizations as part of a pioneering class of innovators who insist on tapping the most accurate, immediate and comprehensive market insights available."

SMI's technology delivers ad-booking data on the 15^th of each month, enabling A+E Networks to establish reliable benchmarks on the market and against competitors with far more accuracy and with greater timeliness than ever before. As part of the agreement, SMI will also provide A+E networks with secure access to the monthly Scatter market, enabling the company to assess its performance in the market for uncommitted ads for the first time ever in the U.S.

About A+E
A&E is "Real Life. Drama." Now reaching more than 99 million homes, A&E is television that you can't turn away from; where unscripted shows are dramatic and scripted dramas are authentic. A&E offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment ranging from the network's original scripted series, including "The Glades," "Longmire" and "Bates Motel," to signature non-fiction franchises, including the Emmy-winning "Intervention," "Duck Dynasty," "Beyond Scared Straight" and "Storage Wars," and the most successful justice shows on cable, including "The First 48." The A&E website is located at www.aetv.com. For more press information and photography please visit us on the web at press.aenetworks.com.

About SMI
Standard Media Index is the sole media industry source for real time, actual ad expenditure data. Powered by a proprietary technology architecture, SMI delivers secure access to comprehensive real advertising spend data across all media types and vendors, empowering media agencies, media owners, investors and advertisers in more than a dozen global markets to make informed decisions. SMI's data is sourced directly from the leading global media buying agencies and aggregated to show the combined picture of direct agency ad spend. This data is actual spend – not estimates and not based on rate cards – providing subscribers with the tools to inform their competitive business analysis and monitor the ever-changing media market place. For more information visit http://www.standardmediaindex.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tola St. Matthew-Daniel, Thatcher+Co.
[email protected], 917-818-6196

SOURCE Standard Media Index