The Media Data Quality Problem
Media and entertainment is in constant flux. Conglomerates acquire and divest properties. Streaming services launch and merge. Publications shut down or pivot to digital. And the executives you're trying to reach move between companies constantly.
Media has unique data challenges. The same contact might be at Disney, ABC, and ESPN all at once in your CRM. Digital publishers appear under multiple brand names. Streaming services spin off and recombine. Your database reflects years of industry chaos without proper cleanup.
Conglomerate structures are confusing
"Warner Bros. Discovery" and "HBO" and "Max" and "CNN" all need to be properly connected. Your CRM might have them as separate accounts, the same account, or some confusing mix. ABM campaigns hit the same company multiple times from different angles.
Properties change ownership constantly
That digital publication got acquired. The streaming service merged. The studio got sold. Media M&A is constant, and your database has contacts at properties that no longer exist or are now part of different companies.
Executive movement is extreme
Media executives move frequently, especially in streaming and digital. The SVP of Content you pitched is now at a competitor. The Head of Product is at a startup. Your database is full of stale contacts at wrong companies.
Brand versus company confusion
Is BuzzFeed the company or the brand? What about BuzzFeed News (which shut down)? What about Complex (which they owned)? Media brands and corporate entities get mixed up constantly.
How Verum Cleans Media Data
We understand media and entertainment structure. Conglomerate hierarchies. Network and studio relationships. The difference between properties, brands, and corporate entities.
Conglomerate hierarchy standardization
We normalize media company names and map proper hierarchies. All Disney properties connect correctly to the parent. All Paramount entities are properly attributed. You can segment and report at any level.
What you get: Standardized company names with conglomerate relationships mapped.
Property and brand normalization
We distinguish between corporate entities, network brands, and individual properties. Your data correctly reflects what level of the organization you're actually engaging with.
What you get: Clear property and brand attribution for accurate targeting.
Contact validation
We verify that contacts are still at the companies you expect. Media's high turnover creates stale data fast. We flag contacts who've moved and validate email deliverability.
What you get: 93% deliverability guarantee on validated emails with job change flags.
Defunct property cleanup
We identify and flag contacts at properties that have shut down, merged, or been significantly restructured. Stop reaching out to people at publications that no longer exist.
What you get: Records flagged for defunct properties with recommended actions.
What Media Teams Do With Clean Data
- Run conglomerate ABM effectively. When hierarchies are mapped, you can coordinate campaigns across properties or target at the corporate level.
- Stop chasing dead properties. Defunct property flags mean you're not pursuing contacts at publications that shut down.
- Track industry movement. Job change tracking shows you where your contacts have landed after moves.
- Reduce email bounces. Validated emails protect your sender reputation in an industry with high turnover.
- Trust your pipeline metrics. When companies are properly attributed, your revenue reporting actually makes sense.
The Process
Step 1: Export your data. Pull contacts and accounts from your CRM. We work with exports from Salesforce, HubSpot, and standard spreadsheets.
Step 2: We assess it. We analyze duplicate rates, hierarchy issues, property status, and contact validation. You get a report even if you don't proceed.
Step 3: We clean it. Deduplication, hierarchy mapping, property normalization, validation. Human review on complex conglomerate relationships. Most projects finish in 24-48 hours.
Step 4: You import clean data. Import-ready file with documentation of all changes. Your team starts working with accurate data immediately.
Common Questions
How do you handle media conglomerate structures?
We understand the relationships between conglomerates, networks, studios, and digital properties. We standardize hierarchies so all related properties connect correctly.
Can you clean both traditional and digital media data?
Yes. We handle broadcast, cable, streaming, publishing, gaming, and digital-native properties. Each has different data characteristics that we address appropriately.
How do you handle media industry job changes?
Media has high turnover. We flag contacts who've moved, validate current employment, and can identify where former contacts have landed.
How long does media data cleaning take?
Most media CRM cleaning projects complete in 24-48 hours for databases under 50,000 records. Complex conglomerate mapping may take 3-5 business days.
What about international media companies?
We have coverage for major international media companies across regions. Coverage varies by market, and we'll give you expected rates for your specific list.
Ready to Clean Your Media Data?
Not sure how bad it is? Send us a sample export. We'll analyze it free and show you duplicate rates, hierarchy issues, and data quality problems.
Ready to fix it? Most media data cleaning projects start same-day and complete within 48 hours.
Related: Media Data Enrichment | Media Data Analysis | Data Cleaning Services