Inscape Data Services
{{Short description|Data service for smart TVs}}
{{About|a data service for smart TVs|the defunct American video game publisher|Inscape (company)|the digital graphics editor|Inkscape}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Inscape Data Services
| logo = Inscape logo.svg
| type = Privately held company
| industry = Automatic content recognition
| key_people = Zeev Neumeier
Michael Collette
Brian Reed
| location_city = San Francisco, California
| location_country = United States
| parent = Vizio
| homepage = {{URL |https://inscape.tv/}}
}}
Inscape is an American provider of automatic content recognition (ACR) services to Smart TV OEMs.{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/04/cognitive-networks-ces/ |title=Cognitive Networks Detects What You’re On Your Smart TV |publisher=techcrunch| accessdate=23 August 2016}}
The company was founded in 2009 as TV Interactive Systems, later renamed Cognitive Media Networks Inc. On August 10, 2015, Vizio acquired Cognitive Media Networks and renamed it Inscape. In July 2016 Vizio announced Inscape will spin off and operate as a separate, privately owned company.{{Cite web |last=MarketScreener |date=2016-07-27 |title=William Wang to Become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Inscape -July 26, 2016 {{!}} MarketScreener |url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/INSCAPE-CORPORATION-1410462/news/William-Wang-to-Become-Chairman-and-Chief-Executive-Officer-of-Inscape-35391935/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=www.marketscreener.com |language=en}}
History
Inscape was founded in 2009 by Zeev Neumeier as TV Interactive Systems.{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=217634214 |title=Company Overview of Cognitive Networks, Inc. |publisher=Bloomberg| accessdate=23 August 2016}}
In 2012, the company raised $2.5 million in funding from Rogers Venture Partners, rebranded as Cognitive Networks, and hired Michael Collette as its CEO.{{cite news |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10185158.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826091249/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10185158.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 26, 2016 |title=TV Interactive Systems Relaunches as Cognitive Networks; Interactive Veteran Michael Collette to Helm Venture |publisher=prweb |accessdate=23 August 2016}}
On August 28, 2013, LG announced its LivePlus interactive service powered by Cognitive Network ACR.{{cite web|title=LG partners with Cognitive Networks to make Smart TVs smarter and more interactive|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/08/29/lg-parnters-with-cognitive-networks-to-make-smart-tvs-smarter-an/|website=engadget |accessdate=23 August 2016}} LG subsequently partnered with Showtime Network to launch in-program interactivity using Cognitive Network ACR.{{cite news |url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/08/15/lg-showtime/ |title=LG and Showtime join forces to help you contextualize 'Dexter,' 'Ray Donovan'| publisher=engadget |accessdate=23 August 2016}}
On August 10, 2015, Vizio acquired Cognitive Networks and renamed it Inscape{{cite web |url=https://www.dcm.com/en/portfolio/cognitive-networks |title=Cognitive Networks - Portfolio - DCM |publisher=}} In July 2016 Vizio announced Inscape will spin off and operate as a separate, privately owned company with past Vizio CEO William Wang as new CEO.{{cite web|url=http://www.twice.com/news/tv/vizio-being-sold-leeco/62292|title=Vizio Being Sold To LeEco|date=26 July 2016|publisher=}}
On November 9, 2015, privacy advocate Julia Angwin exposed the Inscape technology in an investigative piece for Pro Publica to track consumer viewing habits within Vizio televisions and sharing it with advertisers.{{cite web|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/own-a-vizio-smart-tv-its-watching-you|title=Own a Vizio Smart TV? It's Watching You|date=9 November 2015|publisher=}}
Technology journals like Ars Technica investigated the matter and found that not only was Vizio observing its customers viewing behavior, it was quite easy for its software to be hacked and observed by third parties.{{Cite web |last=Goodin |first=Dan |date=2015-11-11 |title=Man-in-the-middle attack on Vizio TVs coughs up owners’ viewing habits |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/11/man-in-the-middle-attack-on-vizio-tvs-coughs-up-owners-viewing-habits/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}} Shortly after these reports, both Vizio and its subsidiary Inscape Data Services were named in numerous class action lawsuits for violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act.{{Cite web |last=Goodin |first=Dan |date=2017-02-06 |title=Vizio smart TVs tracked viewers around the clock without consent |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/vizio-smart-tvs-tracked-viewers-around-the-clock-without-consent/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}}
Audience panel
In 2020, Inscape created an audience panel called the National Representative Panel (NRP).{{Cite web |last=Mann |first=Colin |date=2020-06-10 |title=Inscape's new audience panel |url=https://advanced-television.com/2020/06/10/inscapes-new-audience-panel/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |language=en-GB}} Using ACR, the NRP is built from 15 million smart TVs in the US and claims the data to be representative of TV viewing for all US households, demographics, and geographies across 210 local markets. This data was created in partnership with Dativa, a company providing custom TV measurement strategy and solutions to brands, agencies and media companies.{{Cite web |title=The Next Big Thing In Data: Q&A With Dativa's Michael Collette |url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/348025/the-next-big-thing-in-data-qa-with-dativas-mich.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241218210934/https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/348025/the-next-big-thing-in-data-qa-with-dativas-mich.html |archive-date=2024-12-18 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=www.mediapost.com |language=en}}