Rentrak, the entertainment and VOD measurement company, has acquired Nielsen EDI, which offers measurement services for the movies industry, from The Nielsen Company. The price is about $15 million, according to an SEC filing, along with the assumption of certain liabilities. The deal, expected to close Q12010. As part of the deal, Nielsen will also enter into a long term data license agreement with Rentrak for continued access to certain box office sales info.

Nielsen EDI captures box office results from more than 50,000 movie screens in 14 countries, including United States, Canada, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom, among others. Meanwhile, with this deal, Nielsen says it will focus its entertainment practice on its core: “understanding of the connected consumer, with a special focus on the relationship between media consumption and consumer purchase behavior.” Which means TV and online/mobile. Details in release.