Nielsen is paying $2.15 billion to acquire DoubleVerify, a provider of software that measures advertising performance.
The all-cash acquisition will deliver shareholders of DoubleVerify $13.60 per share. Shares in the publicly traded company jumped nearly 14% in after-hours trading Thursday on the acquisition news. Nielsen has been privately held since 2022.
Nielsen was attracted to the deal as it looks to improve its ability to track streaming and work with programmers and advertisers reckoning with the ongoing shift from linear TV to streaming. While networks since the rabbit-ears days have complained about Nielsen’s methods, the company has been in the crosshairs numerous times during the streaming boom as its capabilities have faced scrutiny.
The deal is expected to close by the first quarter of 2027, subject to approval by DoubleVerify shareholders and regulatory approval. Private equity firm Providence Equity Partners, which owns 12% of DoubleVerify, has agreed to vote in favor of the deal and plans to exit the investment after it closes.
Nielsen CEO said in a statement that the transaction is in line with the “fundamental transformation” Nielsen has undergone in recent years. The company now aims to track “the full media lifecycle, from discovery and planning through measurement and outcomes; and strengthening our financial foundation. The result is a stronger, more agile Nielsen that has earned its place as a leading media intelligence platform for the modern advertising ecosystem.”
DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski called the acquisition “an exciting milestone.” The company will become “a private entity with the support of Nielsen,” gaining resources and opportunities to keep growing. Its goal will be to develop “a single currency that scores media on both audience delivery and media environment quality.”
