Consortium ready to purchase Nielsen for $16 billion with debt

Nielsen announced on Tuesday that a consortium guided by Elliott Management Corp.'s private equity arm and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. BAM with 1.42 per cent more had decided to purchase the firm for 28 dollars per share.

Nielsen has been in proper discussions with buyout groups to buy the business privately in a transaction for 25.40 dollars per share. Nielsen, on the other hand, turned down the bid the previous Sunday. WindAcre Partnership LLC, a Houston investment group with approximately 10% ownership in the company and another 14% through exchanges, notified the business it would purchase a significant enough share to prevent the sale if it went through, according to the report.

According to those acquainted with the situation, WindAcre was informed of the new contract ahead of time but has yet to announce if it accepts it. WindAcre did not respond to a request for a remark on Tuesday.


The new bid price is nearly 60% more than Nielsen's stock price before The Wall Street Journal disclosed in March that a deal was in the process. After that, Nielsen's stock shot up and stayed high even after the talks fell through. It ended at $22.21 on Monday.

The contract is fully funded, and there is a 45-day "grab" window throughout which Nielsen can request offers from other buyers.

The consortium Nielsen deal tracks television ratings in the United States, which are used by networks to sell commercial time and ensure sponsors that they are getting what they bargained for. Its grip has loosened as streaming grows in popularity and traditional broadcast and cable television lose viewership. While the New York-based firm has just offered streaming statistics, it is just one of many in the area.

The Nielsen purchase, which is valued at almost $10 billion in stock, is also one of the largest disclosed so far this year. The number of large agreements inked has been reduced due to a decrease in acquisition rates caused by market instability.