Qualcomm’s FLO TV, provider of live mobile TV service and media research firm Rentrak have joined forces to launch what they call the “first comprehensive audience measurement and reporting system for multicast mobile TV.”

As mobile TV adoption has continued to rise, the demand for reliable and verifiable viewership data has grown throughout the entertainment, media and advertising industries. Quality analytics for real-time mobile television viewing are valuable to advertisers seeking to have insight into their audience viewing patterns.

“This is a significant milestone for FLO TV and also for the mobile multicast TV category,” said Jonathan Barzilay, senior vice president programming and advertising at FLO TV, in a press release. “Mobile TV is quickly becoming a vital platform for consumers. With our new impression reporting from Rentrak, FLO TV can provide relevant viewership information to advertisers and content partners swiftly and reliably.”

FLO TV and Rentrak are currently in the integration phase and are planning to share impression data with their programming partners later this year. Through Rentrak’s TV Essentials reporting system, FLO TV will provide ongoing reports to content providers and advertisers to assist them in their programming and media buying decisions for this emerging platform.

However, old-school media companies tend to stick with old-school analytics firms, so the sale of a new type of quantitative measurement, even for new media mobile TV, will be a tough one. Just yesterday, Time Warner said it signed a new seven-year agreement with Nielsen which includes Nielsen’s television, online and mobile measurement services as well as research on advertising segmentation and targeting.

“As people spend more time consuming media on an increasing variety of platforms and devices, it is crucial that we continue to improve how content usage is captured,” said Turner Broadcasting System’s Chief Research Officer Jack Wakshlag to the Wall Street Journal on the Time Warner-Nielsen deal.

According to FLO TV:

• The average daily viewer is spending over 30 minutes watching FLO TV.
• Mobile TV peaks from 1 to 2 p.m., marking a big change compared to the traditional prime broadcast viewing time.
• Special live news coverage and live sports continue to draw the highest viewership.
• Animation is one of the strongest performers on FLO TV. Other popular genres include soap operas, game shows, reality, comedy and crime dramas.