Decentrix Offers Big Brother in a Box

Our solution would apply to cable networks, cable MSOs, radio and TV networks and ad agencies -- wherever there's advertising at various touch points across a business.

How is the system priced? I assume it's scalable.

Yes. From a practical perspective it depends on the source systems that are actually installed within a given operation. Typically, organizations start out by installing the source info from their trafficking environments so they can work with advertising and financials.

Many of the groups, as a next step, are installing Web-based applications because they need to be able to track placements on the Web and make comparisons between what's being placed there and what's going to traditional media.

Operators need to address the difficulty that today they can't bring that information together into a single reporting environment, and they desperately need to. So what we're seeing is that after initial implementation for trafficking systems, groups often move forward with Web analysis so they can determine what kind of revenue they're getting from their station portals.

Can you give me dollar figures for how much it costs to implement this?

I can give you a broad range. There are two components to the cost. One component is licensing of the intellectual property. The other is consulting to actually train and hand over the solution to our customers when we're finished. It's an open system, so they can evolve it and develop it themselves.

On the low end, the MediaBase module, which takes the daily transactions from a traffic system and provides dashboards with sales pacing and forecasting, starts at around $250,000. That includes licensing, installation and training.

If they were to install a number of other modules such as Web Ad Campaign modules, Real Time modules and Program Management modules, for example, the cost across a large media group may rise to $1 million to $1.5 million, for licensing, installation and training.

These numbers are for a total station group. BIAnalytix is not licensed on a per-station basis since it is necessary across the total corporation.

Do you have a program for ongoing service afterwards?

We do, but the choice is optional. What want to pass all of the knowledge across to our customers so they have the ability to be independent. Generally, most organizations contract with us on a retainer basis to provide consulting services when they want to draw on it.

Will the implementation of the standard BXF affect your systems?

In practice it will help facilitate getting at those on-air transactions, because we want to know the as-run status. But we can also take the as-run status and from the traffic systems or the automation systems. BFX is not necessary for putting our system in there.

Who do you approach within a station group?

The decision is usually going to involve the CFO, the VP of sales and the CEO. There is often an endorser at a very senior level who has a need to get this kind of information today and knows it is strategically important.