Nielsen Holdings

Nielsen Holdings plc, or simply Nielsen, is an American company that measures how many people watch TV and other media. The company works in over 100 countries and has many employees around the world.

For much of its history, Nielsen was best known for two important parts of its business: Nielsen Media Research, which tracked TV ratings, and AC Nielsen, which studied consumer shopping habits and movie ticket sales. Over time, these parts grew into two bigger divisions: the Global Media division and the Global Connect division.

In March 2021, Nielsen decided to keep its Global Media division but sold the Global Connect division, now called NielsenIQ, to a private equity firm called Advent International. The company’s shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange and it was once part of a big group of important companies known as the S&P 500.

History

Nielsen began in 1923 by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.. He made a way to measure how much of a market companies control, helping businesses learn about their market share. The company started in the Netherlands.

In 2011, Nielsen began selling shares and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol "NLSN". In 2015, Nielsen joined with another company, moving its home to England and Wales but keeping its work the same.

In 2021, Nielsen sold a part of its business called Global Connect (known as NielsenIQ) to a private equity firm. In 2022, Nielsen was bought for $16 billion by a group of private equity investors led by Elliott Investment Management and Brookfield Business Partners.

Company information

Nielsen is a global company that helps measure and understand media and advertising. It works in over 100 countries. Nielsen gives clients data about what people watch and how their viewing habits connect with advertising.

The company has moved its legal home a few times. In 2015, it moved from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom. Nielsen is best known for its work on television ratings, but this is just one part of what they do. Nielsen now focuses mainly on measuring audiences and providing analytics for media.

Company history

Arthur C. Nielsen and the invention of "Market Share"

Arthur C. Nielsen started the AC Nielsen Company in August 1923. He wanted to sell surveys about how well businesses were doing. This was the first company to offer market research. In 1932, the company began tracking food and drug purchases. This helped companies learn their "market share" for the first time.

Radio and television

In 1936, Arthur C. Nielsen bought a device called the Audimeter. It could show which radio stations people were listening to. By 1942, the company used this to create a national radio rating service. They collected data from one thousand homes and sold this information to advertisers. This was the start of audience measurement, which later became famous when used for television.

Nielsen began measuring TV audiences in 1950. They used devices attached to TVs to record what people were watching. Later, they also sent out diaries to some families to record their viewing. This helped estimate how many people were watching TV and their demographics. In the 1980s, they introduced a new device called the "people meter." Family members pressed buttons to show they were watching. In 2008, Nielsen started reporting on TV, internet, and mobile device usage. By 2016, they stopped using paper TV diaries and switched to all electronic measurement.

Private equity

In 1984, Nielsen was bought by the Dun & Bradstreet Company. In 1996, it was split into two parts: Nielsen Media Research for TV ratings, and AC Nielsen for consumer trends. In 1999, VNU, a Dutch company, bought Nielsen Media Research and later recombined it with AC Nielsen in 2001.

Becoming a public company

Nielsen was a private company from 2006 to 2011. In January 2011, it became a public company and raised $1.8 billion.

Mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances and divestitures

Nielsen made many partnerships and purchases over the years. For example, in 2012, they bought Arbitron, a company that measured radio audiences. In 2014, they acquired Harris Interactive, which included The Harris Poll. Nielsen continued to grow by buying other companies that helped them understand consumer behavior and advertising better.

Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen

VNU, a Dutch publishing company, bought Nielsen Media Research in 1999. They later combined it with AC Nielsen in 2001. In 2006, VNU was bought by a group of investors and renamed The Nielsen Company in 2007.

Corporate affairs and culture

FIFA worked with Nielsen to learn more about audiences for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This helped Nielsen support big international sports events.