Ranker

High-Level Overview

Ranker is a Los Angeles-based technology company that operates the leading platform for fan-powered rankings across topics like TV, movies, video games, sports, brands, and food, attracting over 30 million monthly unique visitors worldwide.[1][2] It serves consumers seeking crowd-sourced opinions and marketers via Ranker Insights, a psychographic data tool powered by over 1.4 billion votes, offering personalized recommendations (e.g., "if you like X, you’ll also like Y, Z") and audience insights for CTV and addressable TV campaigns in a cookieless world; additionally, it launched Watchworthy in 2020, a statistically relevant, crowd-sourced TV recommendation app.[1][2] With 201-500 employees (recently cited at 88-80), $22.3 million in revenue, and recognitions like Inc. 5000 (2020), Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2019), and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies (2021, No. 5), Ranker demonstrates strong growth momentum backed by investors including Draper Associates and Chris Sacca’s Lowercase Capital.[1][2]

Origin Story

Ranker was founded by Clark Benson, a serial entrepreneur with four prior startups, including eCrush (a top-10 online dating service acquired by Hearst).[1] The company emerged to democratize rankings by empowering millions of fans over critics, building on massive user votes to create actionable insights. Early traction came from rapid scaling to billions of votes, leading to product expansions like Watchworthy and business solutions for entertainment brands, with headquarters in Los Angeles and a remote-friendly culture.[1][2][3]

Core Differentiators

• Fan-Powered Data Engine: Unlike critic-driven reviews, Ranker leverages 1.4 billion+ user votes for psychographic correlations, enabling precise consumer insights and recommendations for marketers and platforms.[1][2]
• Watchworthy App: Launched in 2020, it's the only statistically validated, crowd-sourced TV recommender, standing out in personalized content discovery.[1][2]
• Cookieless Targeting: Ranker Insights excels in reaching niche audiences (e.g., fans of competing shows or SVOD originals) via addressable TV, addressing privacy shifts.[2]
• Tech Stack and Culture: Uses tools like Tapad, Magnite, and AI/machine learning; fosters a meritocratic, pop culture-obsessed team with dynamic roles and growth opportunities.[1][3]

(Note: Search results distinguish this Ranker from unrelated entities like Ranker Technologies, a Pakistan-based digital marketing agency founded in 2019.[4][5])

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Ranker rides the crowd-sourced data and personalization trend in media and entertainment, capitalizing on the shift to CTV/streaming amid declining cookies and rising demand for authentic consumer signals.[2] Timing aligns with post-2020 privacy regulations and SVOD fragmentation, where its vote-driven insights provide scalable alternatives to traditional demographics, influencing marketers, studios, and platforms by powering targeted campaigns and recommendations.[1][2] In the ecosystem, it bridges user-generated content with B2B data solutions, enhancing discovery in a $100B+ digital ad market and fostering fan engagement akin to Reddit or Letterboxd but with proprietary analytics.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Ranker is poised to expand Ranker Insights amid AI-driven personalization and further CTV growth, potentially integrating more machine learning for predictive tastes or partnerships with streaming giants. Trends like zero-party data and interactive media will amplify its edge, evolving it from rankings site to indispensable insights provider—cementing its role as fan voices shape entertainment's future, much like its core mission of putting votes in users' hands.[1][2][3]