Glossary
ACR data
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Automatic content recognition (ACR) data is the viewing record a smart TV or device builds by matching samples of the picture or sound on screen to a reference library of shows, ads and games.
ACR software is built into many smart TVs. It takes frequent fingerprints of what is on screen and compares them with known content. That lets it tell that a household watched a given episode, a live game or a specific ad, even through a cable box, an antenna or a games console. TV makers and their data partners turn those records into audiences and measurement products.
Advertisers use ACR data in three main ways. They target households that watched a programme or saw a rival's ad. They extend linear TV campaigns with connected-TV ads to households the TV buy missed. And they measure whether exposed households later visited a website or store. Because the data describe what happens in a living room, regulators treat them as sensitive, and collection without consent has drawn enforcement.
Example: In February 2017 VIZIO agreed to pay $2.2 million over charges that it collected viewing histories on 11 million smart TVs without users' consent (FTC, 6 February 2017). The settlement was with the FTC and the State of New Jersey. Walmart completed its purchase of VIZIO on 3 December 2024 for about $2.3 billion, citing an ad-supported platform with more than 19 million active SmartCast accounts (Walmart, 3 December 2024).
Related terms: household graph, FAST channel, clean room, incrementality, hashed email.