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 about 15,000 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 was started in 1923 by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.. He created a way to measure how much of the market different companies control, which helped businesses understand their market share. The company was first set up in the Netherlands.

In 2011, Nielsen began selling shares to the public and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol "NLSN". In 2015, Nielsen merged with another company, moving its official 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, covering most of the world's population and economy. Nielsen gives clients valuable data about what people watch and how their viewing habits connect with advertising.

The company has changed 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. After simplifying its business and selling off some parts, 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, which helped companies find out their "market share" for the first time.

Radio and television

In 1936, Arthur C. Nielsen bought a device called the Audimeter, which could tell 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 applied to 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," where 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 help understand audiences for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This partnership allowed Nielsen to support major international sports events.