TV ratings company Nielsen acquired in $16 billion deal

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN
AP Business Writer

Nielsen is being acquired for $16 billion, including debt, about a week after the TV ratings and marketing data company rejected a $9 billion offer. A group of private equity investors led by Brookfield Business Partners will invest approximately $2.65 billion via preferred equity, convertible into 45% of Nielsen’s common equity. The equity version of the deal is worth just over $10 billion, with the remainder in debt held by Nielsen. Nielsen measures television viewership, statistics that then help govern billions of dollars in advertising spending. It has $3.5 billion in annual global revenue.