“Nielsen’s board of directors voted unanimously to support the acquisition proposal after rejecting an acquisition offer of roughly $15bn from a separate private equity consortium last week,” reports adweek.com.
According to Reuters Nielsen, which gathers viewership data across TV, radio and digital platforms that are used by advertisers and others to determine prime-time hours, has been under pressure as more cord-cutters move to streaming.
“After a thorough assessment, the Board determined that this transaction represents an attractive outcome for our shareholders by providing a cash takeout at a substantial premium, while supporting Nielsen’s commitment to our clients, employees and stakeholders.
“The Consortium sees the full potential of Nielsen’s leadership position in the media industry and the unique value we deliver for our clients worldwide,” said James A. Attwood, chairperson of Nielsen’s board of directors, in a statement on the Nielsen site.
Today, Nielsen entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a consortium led by Evergreen Coast Capital and Brookfield. The all-cash transaction is valued at approximately $16B USD or $28/share.
— Nielsen (@nielsen) March 29, 2022
Read about today’s announcement (investor info): https://t.co/3yaUR9F3SO
Despite the video and TV ratings firm’s well-documented struggles over recent years, adweek.com says Evergreen said the company will “continue to be the gold standard for audience measurement”.
The Nielsen statement quotes Dave Gregory, managing partner, Brookfield Business Partners: “Nielsen is deeply embedded in the media ecosystem and a trusted service provider to its customers.
“As a private company, Nielsen will be even better positioned to deliver the best measures of consumers’ rapidly changing behaviours across all channels and platforms.
“We are pleased to invest in this iconic company and help lead the industry into the next generation of audience measurement.”
